


Burn Across the Sky

by bookishTomato, concernedWallflower24



Series: Rise on Burning Wings [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Gen, Oh god so many wardens, all of them - Freeform, all of them are here, also trans-cousland, dont trust him, duncan is a shady man, guys theres so much dragon age on my computer, i love rayne, shes good love her
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2020-07-28 12:50:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 57,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20064316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookishTomato/pseuds/bookishTomato, https://archiveofourown.org/users/concernedWallflower24/pseuds/concernedWallflower24
Summary: Hell. How do I describe this mess?It's chaos. It's seven wardens-to-be traveling across Thedas, all recruited in shady, rather inopportune ways by a tired man who's forgotten what it's like to be a normal person. It's watching them grow from scared, angry kids to adults powerful enough to stop a blight - it's every origin from DAO, shoved into one fic."So, Wardens. That's what this is, right?""Yep. Welcome to the crew - team Jaded Young Adults Save Thedas. Betrayed by a friend, framed by your brother, nearly killed by a mirror that ate your crush, escaped execution after winning a competition, family killed in front of you by your father's old friend... and your fiancé got killed on your wedding day? Yeah, don't worry. You'll fit right in."





	1. Mahariel

**Author's Note:**

> So, bookishTomato and I fell down a long, long origins character hole and this is result. 
> 
> This will probably be a three-part fic that covers the events of Origins from our combined Dragon Age universes. This first part, Burn Across the Sky, features every warden origin and how Duncan conscripts them and gets them all to Ostagar. It's a ton of fun and I love all the characters, so I hope you guys do too!! 
> 
> Anyway, here, have several thousand words of our OCs. This probably got a little out of control.

It was, by every standard, an average day. The sun was high in the sky, a few clouds floating around up above, a crisp breeze blowing through the trees. Duncan’s horse’s hooves thudded into the path with muted _ phat phat _ sounds and occasionally tossed his head, causing the black strands of his mane to fly through the air, or snorted gently. He’d been riding nearly three days, but his journey had just begun…

After all, he didn’t expect it to be easy to find recruits for the Wardens. Eligible members were far and in between – he expected to get maybe three at most over the course of his journey, traveling around the outskirts of Ferelden while the armies gathered at Ostagar in preparation for the fight against the hordes. He sighed, relaxing back into his saddle, and for a few minutes, everything was peaceful and calm.

But then a strange prickling began in his chest.

He frowned.

It was a familiar feeling, but it should not be coming this far away from the wilds. Sill, there was no doubt about it.

_ Darkspawn. _

Sitting up a bit straighter, eyebrows lowered in a concerned frown, he flicked the reins and headed towards the feeling, allowing it to grow stronger and stronger as he darted through the trees, until suddenly he was standing outside a small moss-covered cave. The taint was coming from it, stronger than he’d ever felt it before.

_ An archdemon? _

The thought chilled his bones. Still, he had to check, if not at least to confirm his suspicions. He dismounted and tied his horse’s reins around a nearby tree branch. Then, drawing his sword, he approached the cave carefully, not daring to make a sound.

Peeking around the corner, however, he saw no dragon, no horde of darkspawn waiting to rush out. Instead he saw a mirror, intricate and tarnished with age. Its silver surface was discolored enough that it didn’t reflect anything around it, and its frame struck him as something in the style of ancient Tevinter artifacts, with sharp, ornate protrusions and tall, worn statues of what looked to be a pair of sword-wielding men, bald heads and indistinct features because of the passage of time.Lying in front of that mirror, eyes open and yet entirely motionless other than the barest rise and fall of his chest, was an elven man. It was difficult to tell if he was injured or not from a distance, and so, after looking over the cave warily once more, Duncan rushed in and then crouched down at the elf’s side. Unseeing purple eyes - a rather unusual color, for an elf - stared up from a tanned face painted with the tattoos of Falon’din, the Dalish god of death and fortune, or so he thought. There were no visible wounds, no fresh blood on the leather armor he wore, no cuts on his arms, and his swords were both still sheathed and attached to his back - nothing to indicate he’d been in a fight of any sort. Duncan frowned and shook his arm urgently, but the man didn’t make a sound. 

“Can you hear me?” He asked in a harsh whisper. Still, nothing. “Oh, Maker.” Duncan breathed, shaking his head. “I’m so sorry.” 

The taint was rolling off the elf in waves - the source of what’d brought him there, however, was the mirror itself, the sickness pulsating from the glass screen. It was almost strong enough to suffocate him, and he knew they couldn’t stay in there a moment longer. 

“Bear with me.” He muttered to the unconscious figure, grabbing his arms and dragging him across his shoulders. He then turned and ran out of the cave, away from the blighted object. 

After laying him down again in the sun, now a safe distance from the cave and the sickness it contained, Duncan was surprised to find the ‘man’ was closer in age to that of a boy, likely not even eighteen. He was very tall for an elf, with the lean but muscular build of a rogue that gave him a weight heavier than he’d have expected of someone so young. Shoulder-length brown hair had been pulled back into a braided ponytail, although now half of it had come loose and hung in sweaty strands down his cheeks and neck, and the boy’s eyes had finally closed, hiding the vibrant purple irises from view. He was warm to the touch, very likely from the blight spreading through his veins, and the longer Duncan surveyed him, the less hope he had. Finally he sighed, got to his feet once more, and began searching the ground for any sign of how the boy had gotten there - there was no halla or horse nearby, so perhaps he’d walked. 

He confirmed his suspicions a moment later, finding two sets of footprints in the mud, heading towards the cave’s entrance. One set was deeper than the others - the boy’s, he wanted to guess, based off his height and weight… of course, that meant that the boy hadn’t come alone. There was no sign of his companion, however, so whoever it was had either left their friend behind…

Or something truly terrible had happened to them. 

Not wanting to think on it any longer, Duncan returned to the boy’s side and managed to pick him up once again, struggling to him up on the back of his horse for a bit before finally setting off in the direction the footprints had come from. If they had walked, then their village couldn't have been too far away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sure enough, a Dalish camp soon came into view, nestled in a small clearing. From what he could tell, there were a few tents and tables set up, elves milling about and talking with one another. 

He didn’t get much farther past that when suddenly three figures dropped from the trees, arrows pointing at him and helmets pulled low over their faces. 

“What have you done?” They demanded angrily. His horse shifted, preparing to run, but Duncan clicked his tongue, keeping the beat calm. 

“I come in peace.” He held his hands up in surrender, speaking low and slow even as the adrenaline hit him, making his heart race and his senses sharpen. He was acutely aware of the four arrows trained directly at his chest, and took a deep breath as he carefully measured his voice. “I found this boy lying in a cave, alone, several miles away from your clan. He is very sick - your Keeper will want to see him.” The elves looked at each other; one of them, a bulkier man with hard blue eyes and jet black hair, gave a nod, and they all straightened, lowering their bows but not yet removing their arrows. 

No matter how many times he was in a situation like that, no matter how often he was moments away from death, he never got used to it. A little sigh of relief finally let his shoulders relax, and he gave his well-practiced, easy-going smile. “I am Duncan, Commander of the Fereldan Grey Wardens.” That got a reaction out of the elves, the woman on his left giving a little gasp in surprise as she turned to her comrades. 

“A Warden.” She murmured. The others murmured amongst themselves for a moment; finally the black-haired elf nodded at him and turned, leading him in the direction of their village. Duncan urged his horse forwards; the beast fought for a moment, stomping his hooves in protest, but finally began lumbering forwards, eyes trained on the arrows still held in the elves’ fingers. 

They’d just barely gotten in range of the camp when there was suddenly a cry of terror and then, “Is that… _ Min! _ ” came from somewhere to his right, and suddenly everyone’s eyes turned to him. A young woman- nineteen or so from the looks of her - came running over, stumbling over tree roots, pale with worry. “Creators, that _ is _Min! Is he alright-” She instantly began assaulting him with questions, the words flying out of her mouth in a frenzy as she reached out to her unconscious friend. “What happened to him? Where’s Tal-“

“Calm yourself, child.” Duncan said gently, putting a hand out to stay her. “Your friend is alive, but barely so. He needs help. Do you have a healer in this village?”

“That would be me.”

He looked up to see a grey-haired elf striding towards him, and watched as the others parted to make way. He recognized a Keeper when he saw one; he bowed his head respectfully. She nodded back at him, and then motioned to two of the nearby scouts, the ones who’d brought him over. They walked up, staring distrustfully between Duncan and his horse.

“Yes, Keeper?”

“Take Minehn to my aravel. I will begin healing him there.”

“Yes, Keeper.” They repeated, and Duncan helped them slide the unconscious boy off the horse’s back, and then watched as they carried him away. The others in the clan stepped back as they passed again, concerned looks passing between them as they caught glimpses of this ‘Minehn’ and how pale his face was. When they disappeared inside the largest tent, the Keeper turned back to him.

“Who are you?” It wasn’t so much of a demand as a firm question. “Where did you find Minehn?”

“My name is Duncan, of the Grey Wardens.” He replied calmly, and after a moment, saw the name register in her face.

“A Warden?” The young woman, her raven-black hair cut short with little braids running throughout it, blinked in surprise, temporarily distracted from her worry. “You mean those people with the griffin armor who fight the darkspawn?” He nodded.

“I was passing by a little ways away from here when I found your friend. He was collapsed in a cave a bit to the west of your village.” Duncan replied, and then looked around at the small conglomerate of elves that’d gathered to listen in, and quietly cleared his throat. “There is… something of importance you should know about.” He added, giving the Keeper a meaningful look. She turned and raised an eyebrow at the rest of her clan.

“The situation is being handled.” She said, authoritative and unwavering in tone. “Go back to your business. We will gather later to talk.” The elves, apparently satisfied with this, went back to what they were doing, whispering amongst each other as they did so. Some of them continued to glance over from time to time, but none of them were outright staring anymore.

Well, none, except for the small, dark haired girl at his waist, staring up at him with concern.

“What happened to Min?” She asked again. “Where’s Tamlen? Did you see anyone with him?” Her eyebrows were furrowed, hands fidgeting in front of her. “They were hunting together, and I was beginning to worry that they’d been gone so long. Not that it was unusual, with those two. Min with his wandering and Talmen, always out adventuring, but Min normally stays out of trouble… But I could _ feel _ something wrong! I just knew it!” The girl said, talking faster and faster as she did so.

“Merrill, calm yourself.” The Keeper said with a sigh that bordered on exasperation. “Only one question can be answered at a time.”

“There was no one with him when I arrived.” Duncan replied to the young girl’s query and instantly watched her face fall. “But,” he continued, and she perked back up again, “there were two sets of footprints outside the cave. Perhaps his friend left through a back entrance.” The girl frowned at this, and then shook her head.

“He would never leave Min behind.” Merrill said resolutely, and turned to the keeper. “Oh, I just _ know _ something terrible has happened to him, Keeper, I know it!”

The Keeper pondered for a moment, and then sighed.

“Merrill, go gather a hunting party. They are to disembark immediately and search for Tamlen.” She said. The girl nodded, relief dropping her shoulders slightly.

“Yes, Keeper. Thank you.” Then she turned and ran back into the center of the village. The older woman sighed, and then looked back at Duncan.

“She is my First, who will take after me as Keeper someday.” She explained. “She’s got a ways to go, but she is a sweet girl.”

“I can see that.” Duncan replied with a smile. “Now, about the other boy, the one I brought here… Minehn?” He asked, his voice lowering, and she nodded. “The cave I found him in… it is filled with ancient relics, of Elvish origin. Many of them are broken, but enough to salvage. There’s writings on them, if you’ve someone to translate.”

“Mythal bless us.” The Keeper breathed, eyes widening as she processed the importance of the information. “Elvish writings and artifacts… they must be _ centuries _ old!” Then she hesitated, tapping one long finger against the side of her leg as she thought. “But why were the boys there? They should have known better than to go without telling me, yet I heard nothing about it.” Duncan shook his head.

“I do not know, Keeper. But… there is something else.” He sighed, looking towards the Aravel in the distance where they’d brought the wounded boy. “There was a mirror, in the back. He was lying beside it, on the steps.” She frowned.

“A mirror cannot knock one of my hunters unconscious and make him delirious with fever, sir Duncan.” The Keeper replied.

“No, it cannot at that.” Duncan chuckled, and then sighed. “The mirror was radiating with the taint… stronger than I’ve ever felt it in an inanimate object. That is what brought me to the cave.” She started in surprise, paling slightly, her weary, aged eyes turning to look at the Aravel as well.

“The taint of Darkspawn…” she whispered, more as a statement of disbelief than a question, and then turned back to him, clearly confused. “What would that be doing among relics of our peoples?”

“I do not know, Keeper.” Duncan said. “But I will go and see. Heal the boy, if you can… I will be back in a few days to check on him. For if my suspicions are correct…” he started, and then trailed off, shaking his head. “But perhaps it will not come to that.” The Keeper cast worried eyes towards her Aravel once more, and then nodded.

“I think that is for the best.” She agreed. “_ Dareth shiral _, Grey Warden.”

“_ Dareth shiral _ to you as well, Keeper.” The warden replied, and then, mounting his horse, set course back towards the cave with its strange mirror.

By the time he got there, it was dark, and he decided any further exploring could be done the next morning. After tying the horse up to the same branch he’d found before, he spread his bedroll out on the ground and draped a blanket over himself. It wasn’t long before he was asleep, but then, that never really meant he was resting…

As much as he was proud of being a Warden as as much as he loved being able to fight for the good of Thedas, he still hated the nightmares. He could live a hundred years without his calling, and he'd still never get used to the sound of dragon's screaming ripping through the night, or the feeling of wings slicing through the air and creating winds strong enough to send all his comrades to the ground, and darkspawn... 

Darkspawn everywhere, spreading, killing, swarming, for as far as the eye could see...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He’d been over the cave five, maybe six times, checking all the artifacts, studying the mirror, exploring what was beyond it for anything else that might be tainted, taking breaks only to eat and feed his horse. There was so much Elven history stored in the cave, but alas he did not read the ancient languages. The keeper would need to send someone to check it out…

By the end of that day, he’d learned all there was to know about the cave, and had mapped it on a piece of paper for the elves to use when they came to examine it. He would be getting back to the Dalish earlier than he’d expected, but the cave had been rather small, honestly, and hadn’t taken that long to explore.

Besides, he was anxious to get back and see if Minehn had survived. If he did… that is, if he managed to survive that long with the taint inside him (as now, after examining the mirror, Duncan was sure he did) then perhaps he had what it would take to become a Warden.

And, let’s face it, becoming a Warden would probably be the only thing that could save him, even if he was still alive. He knew the Keeper was powerful, but no one could heal the blight.

So, with plans to set off towards the camp again in the morning, he curled up once more, dreams of darkspawn and dragons haunting the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, he decided to one more sweep to make sure he didn’t miss anything, and then was going to head back to the Dalish. His dreams were stronger, more vivid, when next to the mirror, and he was debating whether or not to destroy it, when—

“There’s a pressure plate here, don’t step on the disk.”

Muffled voices, coming from the entrance to the cave made him pause, and he frowned, turning around. A moment later, three elves appeared – one, the concerned girl, Merrill, who was First to the Keeper, a second one unfamiliar, and the third…

The third was the boy he’d saved. _ How is he walking with the Blight in him? _ Duncan stared. _ Either the keeper is stronger than I gave her credit for, or _ ** _he_ ** _ is… _

“Oh! Hello, Sir Duncan.” Merrill’s eyes lit on him. “Are you busy? Because I'm supposed to have a look at the mirror to see if it’s elvish and see if I can figure out what it did.” She rose up on her toes, doing her best to peer up at the mirror and its two flanking statues, despite how he was mostly blocking the way.

“This mirror is from Tevinter,” he said with a sigh, turning away from it. “And dangerous.” If the girl got too close, she would no doubt contract the blight, just like her friend.

“Have you seen another elf around here?” Minehn asked, his voice anxious. “A little shorter than me, blonde, had a bow?” He was looking around, as if he expected his friend to just appear out of the walls.

“I'm sorry, but I haven't. And I doubt that I will.” Duncan sighed. He walked a bit closer to the boy, frowning slightly. “What happened here, before I found you?”

“There was-- an odd bear, it wasn't right somehow. And Tamlen touched the mirror. And then--” He cut off suddenly, looking away. Duncan sighed.

“I've seen other artifacts like this one,” said the Warden. “If they are corrupted, they can act as pathways for the darkspawn. It is best if I destroy it.”

“The Keeper said-” Merrill started to say, but Min interrupted her with, “What about Tamlen?” Duncan frowned at the boy. There was a flush on his cheeks and worry in his eyes. _ They were close. _ He reminded himself. _ It is only natural he is worried. It’s only unfortunate that I have to tell him… _

“He is either dead, or corrupted by the Blight.” He said, watching as all three of the elves paled. “This mirror is _ dangerous. _ It would be almost impossible to cleanse it, and in the meantime it would continue to allow darkspawn into these ruins.” He watched the young adults carefully, and saw determination set into Minehn’s face. Merrill still looked like she wanted to protest, but she said nothing, only slipping her arm through her friend’s.

“Destroy it, then,” he said, voice quiet. Duncan sighed, and then drew his sword and walked back to the mirror.

“Stand back.” he warned, and watched as the three of them stumbled away towards the entrance. Then, swinging the weapon over his head with as much force as he could muster, he slammed his sword into the mirror. The glass shattered, catching torchlight as the pieces fell to the ground and clinked into each other. The pieces of mirror still didn't reflect any part of the actual room, but it was less disconcerting when it wasn't a solid piece of dark glass. For a moment, the taint flashed strong, stronger than he’d ever felt it before, stronger even than it had been when he first arrived.

And then it was gone. He sighed.

“It is done.” He said. “And we should leave. We don't know how many darkspawn have already come through the mirror.”

The three of them nodded wordlessly, staring at the pieces of the mirror on the ground for a moment before turning and filing out of the cave. The trip back to camp was quiet, for the most part, until Min almost ran into a tree and Merrill had to insert herself under his arm. _ The Blight is affecting him more than I realized. _ Duncan thought. The boy’s steps were uneven and his balance was faulty, and he doubted he’d be able to even use the swords strapped to his back. “What did the mirror _ do _to me,” Minehn muttered under his breath. Duncan sighed.

“You have the Blight, Minehn. I'm surprised you’ve lasted as long as you have, although I suspect your Keeper had something to do with that.” He paused, unsure of how much to say yet. Then he decided to just go with it… a little baiting, and maybe he could convince him. “It won’t last. However, I do know of a cure, of sorts.”

Min looked at him in surprise. “Would it work on Tamlen?” was the first thing out of his mouth, but then he seemed to pause, and shook his head. “What is it?”

“Keeper Marethari needs to be included in this conversation.” Duncan replied, satisfied with the boy’s interest. Perhaps he could make him a Warden, yet… with the resistance to the Blight that the boy had displayed so far, he would doubtless survive the Joining, and there would be one more Warden in the fight against the darkspawn for the war to come… 

The camp had barely come into sight when the Keeper started towards them, reaching out to Min when she was beside them, her hands glowing a faint green color. Min winced slightly, but then breathed out a sigh of relief – whatever she’d just done, that’s how she was keeping the Blight back. Duncan frowned but said nothing. Then she turned to him.

“Did you find Tamlen?” She asked.

“No,” Duncan replied, shaking his head. “It’s unlikely that we will find him.” He watched the other elves wince, and the Keeper’s face fell. She turned to Merrill and the unfamiliar boy.

“Go.” She nodded towards a couple of other elves, and Merrill looked like she was about to cry, but simply nodded and did as she was told, dragging the third elf behind her. Min looked like he wanted to follow them, but the Keeper shook her head.

“Stay here, Min. There are things we need to discuss.” She said. He just nodded mutely. Duncan paused, and then said, “I do have a more… _ permanent _ solution for Minehn’s illness, although it would take him away from your clan, probably for quite some time.” He watched as the offer sank in for the Keeper, although Min seemed not to be listening, only watching his friends leave.

“What is this plan, then?” asked the Keeper.

“My order is in need of help,” Duncan said, “and he is in need of a cure. When I leave, if he will join me, he would make an excellent Grey Warden.”

“You want him to be a _ what _ now?” The keeper asked, aghast.

“A Grey Warden.” Duncan repeated. “The Darkspawn taint courses through his veins, Keeper. Your help has done much to stay the sickness, but eventually it _ will _ claim him. That he recovered at all is remarkable.”

“What will happen if he stays?” The Keeper asked, sounding weary, all the power that’d been her voice two days previous now faded into a pained resignation that only barely seemed to be keeping her together. “Is there anything to be done? Anything at all?”

“Eventually the taint will sicken and kill him.” Duncan shook his head. “There is nothing you can do for him here, Keeper. The Grey Wardens can prevent such a thing, but it would mean joining us.”

“Would he be able to return?” The Keeper finally asked after debating quietly for nearly five minutes, eyes flicking between him and the boy over and over again. . Duncan knew she could see there was no other way, and he hated that it had to be like that, but…

“I do not know. All we offer for now is a way for him to survive.” He replied truthfully. “It is not simply charity on my part, however. I would not offer if I did not think he had the makings of a Warden.” He paused, and then sighed. “Let me be clear. It is likely he will never return here. We will go and fight the darkspawn, a battle that will take him far from this Clan.” He paused. “But we need him, and others like him, for the good of Thedas. A new Blight threatens the land, Keeper, and you cannot outrun it.”

“You want me to be a Grey Warden?”

They were both stopped by Min’s voice breaking into the conversation. Duncan had almost forgotten the boy was standing right there. He turned his gaze down to the purple-eyed boy and nodded.

“Yes, Minehn.”

“What… even _ is _ a Grey Warden?” The boy asked quietly. “What do they _ do?” _

“We stop the Blight,” Duncan said firmly, for what other description could he give? Min frowned and attempted to shift his weight, almost wobbling as he tried and failed to keep his balance. Dunan put a hand on his shoulder to keep him standing, the boy looked up at him, fear in his eyes, and pain, far more pain than someone his age should know. He tried to remind himself that this… this was a boy he was dealing with, not an adult, tried to remind himself not everyone was as jaded as he himself. He forced his voice to soften, giving the boy a grim look as he continued. “But it is also the only way you will survive the taint, Minehn. If you stay here, you will eventually die.”

The elf just stared at him, hesitating, thoughts racing behind his eyes. Finally he swallowed thickly, glancing over to where Merrill and their other companion were standing.

“Can I wait until after the funeral? Before we leave, I mean?” he asked. Duncan had already opened his mouth to prepare a stronger argument, when he suddenly realized that Min had just… _ agreed _, just like that. Usually it took a bit more persuasion, and sometimes even an official conscription, to get people to join them. 

Maker knew it’d taken that with him, and he’d still tried to run away three times before deciding to stick it out with the Wardens. He closed his mouth again, considering this.

“How long will that take?” He eventually asked. There was still a chance, and that’s all he needed. Besides, if he stayed he would definitely die, while if Duncan took him back to the Wardens, there was at least a chance he would live.

“We don't have a body to prepare, so… A couple hours?” the boy shrugged, but it didn’t seem like his heart was in it. Duncan sighed, and then nodded.

“Meet me back at the cave when you’re ready to depart.” He said. “I need to go collect my things, and my horse.”

Min blinked.

“Horse?” He squeaked out, eyes widening as he looked at the Keeper. “I… um. I don’t know how to ride a horse.”

_ Well, that could be a problem. _ Duncan frowned, but the Keeper shook her head.

“We must move locations anyways now. Min, come with me.” She motioned him forwards, and then turned back to Duncan. “I wish to talk with him privately. _ Ma serannas, _ Grey Warden. _ Andruil enansai _.” She nodded to him, and he nodded back. Then he turned and began the walk back to the cave as she took Min aside, pulling him into a hug and murmuring gently in his ear.

It was never easy for recruits to leave their lives behind.

But it was part of being a Warden… it was necessary. For the good of Thedas.

_ Maker bless us all. _

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was nearly nightfall when the sound of heavy footfalls came to Duncan’s ears, and he frowned. It couldn’t have been Min, they were too…

But then he spotted him in the distance, on the back of a large, white Halla. _ Ah, that makes more sense. _ Duncan thought, watching as the boy approached. He was pale, and for a moment Duncan feared he’d topple right off the beast, but eventually he made it, and dismounted shakily, stumbling. Duncan caught his shoulder, keeping him from falling.

“Whoa, there. Steady. Are you alright?” He asked. Min just shrugged, without saying anything. Duncan sighed. “We need to heal you, and soon, or it will be too late.”

“So how does this ‘cure’ work?” Min sighed, leaning back against the halla for balance. The creature had no reins, only a saddle with a bag full of blankets on one side and a basket of food on the other, and Duncan vaguely wondered how the elf managed to guide it. He turned and reached into his own saddlebag, pulling out a small vile. It was purple and sickly looking; he peered at it, and then nodded in satisfaction.

“This should be enough.” He said.

_ I think this will be the first Joining done without the ceremony. _ He thought for a moment, and then shrugged inwardly. He didn’t have time to get all the way back to Ostagar before Min would die, and he still had a lot of Fereldan to cover before going back anyways. _ This will have to do. _

He’d decided not to tell Min what it was, or what it did. Should they pick up more recruits, as he hoped to do, he didn’t want the elf telling them what happens. Besides, he wasn’t certain the boy would agree if he knew the cure was darkspawn blood. Instead he just turned and handed him the vial.

“Drink this, and it will heal you.” He said. Min frowned at it suspiciously.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Duncan replied. Then he watched in anticipation as the elf uncorked the vial, put it against his lips, and tilted his head back, downing all of it in one swallow. When he pulled back, he was making a face.

“That tastes vile.” He muttered.

Then he began to tremble, and his eyes rolled back in his head...

…and then he fell to the ground, unconscious once again. Duncan knelt at his side, feeling for a pulse, for _ anything. _

He breathed a sigh of relief when the steady _ thump, thump, thump _ of the boy’s heart pounded faintly under his fingertips.

_ It worked. _ He thought gratefully.

“Congratulations, Minehn.” He murmured. “You’re now a Grey Warden.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Min woke with a fiercely pounding headache and a bright light in his eyes. He groaned and rolled over – his stomach felt like it was on _ fire. _

“You’re awake. That is good.” A voice said from somewhere nearby. He blinked his eyes open and saw Duncan, the Warden-Commander from earlier - earlier? The day before? He had no idea what time it was, but it was morning so it was probably the next day, at least - sitting on the ground a few feet away, a blanket with some sandwiches spread before him.

“What… happened?” Min asked, pushing himself to a sitting position. Slowly everything started to come back to him – the cave, the mirror… _ Tamlen… _

He looked around. They were still outside the cave. He couldn’t see inside of it. He could, however, see Tamlen, reaching to touch the mirror with an open hand, the flash that came afterwards… Could he have done something to stop him? Actually _ said _ something, instead of gaping like a fool?

He could have physically pushed Tamlen away from the mirror. He was stronger than him. Or broken the mirror himself. Or any one of a seemingly infinite number of possibilities. None of that would help Tamlen now, but that didn't stop him from thinking about all the what-ifs.

“Come.” The Warden said, gesturing to the food and startling him back to the present. “You need to get your strength back.” Min couldn’t really imagine eating at a time like this, and wasn’t hungry in the least, but he sighed and got to his feet.

Then he frowned. The dizzying, sickly feeling from before was gone. All that was left behind was a bitter taste in his mouth and faintly upset stomach.

And a pounding headache, of course.

He sat down across from the Warden, who’d been watching him carefully the entire time, and pulled his knees into his chest.

“How do you feel?” Duncan asked. Min shrugged.

“Better.”

“That is good.” The man nodded in approval. “The headache is just a side effect. It will go away soon enough. Have a sandwich – you need to eat, Minehn.”

“Just Min.” the boy replied. “And I’m…not very hungry.”

“Ah yes, your friend.” The warden sighed. “It is unfortunate, what happened to him.”

Min didn’t reply, couldn’t bring himself to speak. Instead he just looked away.

“He was important to you?” The Warden asked.

“Yes.” The boy replied, voice soft. Not that there’d ever been a chance… He was pretty sure Tamlen was as straight as the arrows he shot. Or… _ had _ been. He’d always been certain it wouldn’t be worth it to push, no matter what Merrill said. That didn’t mean he didn’t quietly freaking out whenever the tangle of limbs that the four of them usually slept in deviated from the usual Fenarel-Tamlen-Merrill-him order, of course - sometimes Tamlen’s arm or leg would somehow end up near him and he’d be up all night long, acutely aware of it while Tamlen himself slumbered on, blissfully unaware of how hard his best friend was crushing on him

Not that those sleeping piles with his friends would ever happen again, now that he was going to be a Warden. He tried not to think about it. Instead he just reached for a sandwich, deciding to give in to Duncan’s demands that he eat something.

“So what now?” he asked. Might as well look forwards, because looking back was still too painful. The Warden sighed.

“I set out to gather recruits to the order, and so gather we will.” He said. “First we’ll be heading to the docks – I am to meet Enchanter Irwing of the Fereldan Circle and discuss any promising mages for the Wardens.” Min frowned.

“That’s. Sort of far away… isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Duncan shrugged. “It should take us a good three day’s ride to reach it. Once we’re done there, we’ll head to Orzammar. It’s been far too long since the Wardens have had a dwarf on our side.”

Min hesitated.

“Orzammar… it’s all underground tunnels, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

_ Perfect… _ Min thought glumly. He _ hated _ being underground, and the recent experience in the cave did nothing to help that hatred. “Then what?”

“From there, it’s a four day ride to Amaranthine.” Duncan said. “There’s a boy I know, a promising young man by the name of James Cousland. He would make an excellent addition to our ranks, if I can persuade his father.” He sighed. “We might stop in Denerim for supplies, but after that we shall head back to Ostagar, with whomever we have with us. Then it will be only a month before the battle we have planned, and, with the Maker watching over us, we will end this blight before it truly begins.”

Min couldn’t ever imagine traveling so much, especially not without his clan, without his friends. Already he missed Merrill, and she wasn’t even that far away yet. He looked down at the sandwich in his hands – Asha had always been one of the best cooks he’d known, best in the clan. She’d taken care of him after his parents had died; thinking of her only made his homesickness worse, and he let go of the sandwich with one hand and reached to touch the string of beads around his neck. It had been his mother’s… Asha had given it to him that very same day, before he’d left to join Duncan, and finally told him the story of what happened to his parents. His mother had switched clans, which was an adventure in itself, but this? This… _ adventure _ he was about to go on with the Warden man? This was like nothing he’d ever heard of a Dalish elf doing before, not unless they were exiled or going to live in one of the human cities. He really wasn’t hungry, but… with a journey like that ahead of him?

He sighed, and then took a bite of the sandwich. Duncan nodded his head approvingly and smiled at him.

Min turned his eyes away, swallowed the rather dry, tasteless bread, and did not bother to smile back.


	2. Surana

The trip to the docks was spent in almost complete silence. Duncan had to say, it was one of the strangest journey’s he’d ever been on, half the time forgetting the elf was there, plodding along behind him on his halla, because he was so quiet. He wasn’t sure if he should say something, or if it’d be better to leave the boy alone, but whatever attempts at conversation he made were passed off with monosyllabic answers, or even just a simple shake of the boy’s head, and so he quickly decided it was best to leave him to his silence. The journey passed in much of a blur for both of them, not really running into anyone on the road until reaching the docks themselves, and even that was simply the ferryman and a few wayward craftsmen offering to sell their goods. They stopped for a meal and stayed in one of the inns – Duncan had stayed in nicer, but it was far superior to the ground that been their previous sleeping place – and the next morning, after paying the stableman to watch their animals, boarded a boat headed for the Circle Tower.

It was tall, extending high into the sky. Duncan wasn’t sure it was the best arrangement for the mages, but then, that wasn’t much his business. He looked over at Min – the elf was staring up at it with something like trepidation mixed with... almost a sort of excitement.

“It’s so tall.” He commented. “Do you think they’d let me stand on the roof?”

Duncan nearly jumped with surprise at hearing the elf’s voice.

“I’m certain we can ask.” He replied. “Do you like heights much?”

The elf nodded, but said nothing more, and Duncan sighed inwardly.  _ Maker, I hope we get some recruits here. _ He thought.  _ Not that Min isn’t nice, but having someone who will have conversations would be a blessing… _

When the boat landed, Irving was waiting for them with open arms.

“Duncan, my old friend!” he greeting, pulling the Warden in a warm embrace.

“It is good to see you, Irving.” Duncan chuckled, returning it.

“And who might you be?” Irving turned to Min, smiling kindly. Min’s eyes darted between the two men nervously, and then he said, “Min. Minehn Minharel, I mean…”

“He’s going to become a Warden and join the fight against the Blight.” Duncan said, and then turned to the First Enchanter. “Which is why we are here, Irving.”

“Yes, I read your letter.” The mage sighed. “Come, come inside. We have much to discuss.” They walked in through the large front doors; Min’s eyes were wide and curious, and for the first time since Duncan had met him a bit of the shadow that’d haunted his features lifted away. He chuckled to himself, and followed them inside.

“Telena, dear!” Irving called, waving to a middle-aged mage standing a few feet away, talking with a group of friends. She looked up at hearing her name, and then, excusing herself, walked over.

“Yes, Enchanter Irving?” She asked, blinking her blue eyes with a gentle smile.

“Show Duncan’s friend to the rooms… the usual one, if you please.”

“Alright.” She said. “It’s good to see you again, Sir Duncan.”

“You too, Telena.” The Warden replied. Then the woman turned her smile to Min.

“Come on, sweetie, let’s get you situated. You must be exhausted.” She told him. He looked at Duncan for a moment, and the Warden nodded.

“Go on. I will return in a bit; you will be safe here.” He promised. Min just sighed and, after one last glance as the warden, followed the mage down the circular hallway and up some stairs. Duncan watched them go, and then turned to Irving. “It has been a rough journey here, my friend. That boy… he’s certainly something.”

“He seems rather quiet.” The mage commented as they started walking towards his office.

“Yes, well… he has been through quite the ordeal.” Duncan said, and went into a brief explanation of how he’d found Min and what had led to him joining him on his journey. Irving frowned.

“You made the boy a Warden without telling him?” He asked, tone disapproving.

“He would have died if I had done otherwise.” Duncan shrugged, and Irving sighed.

“I suppose you are right.” He pushed open the office door, and the two of them walked inside. “Now, about the reason you are here… looking for promising mages to add to your ranks, I assume?”

“Yes.” Duncan nodded. “The Blight is coming, old friend. We need all the help we can get.”

“Then you’ll be glad to hear I have not just one, but  _ two _ promising acolytes for you to consider.” Irving laughed, and Duncan’s eyes widened.

“Two?”

“Yes! One just finished her Harrowing this morning, actually. Fastest Harrowing I’ve ever seen, without even a whiff of demon on her!” He beamed. “She’s studious, and respectful, but isn’t afraid to ask questions and fight when need be. Just the kind of person you want, eh?”

“We shall see.” Duncan smiled, but she certainly  _ sounded _ promising.

“The other passed her Harrowing ages ago… what, five years? She’s a good mage, and teaches the younger kids when she thinks we’re not paying attention.” He chuckled. “She does good by them, that Kaite.”

“The both sound like they will do well.” Duncan said. “When can I-“

“IRVING!”

The door burst open, and a man in Templar armor strode in, face bright red with anger.

“Ah Gregoir, so good to see you again.” Duncan commented, and the man paused, looking at him.

“Ah, so you’ve come to poach from us again, then, have you?” He said sourly, and turned back to the First Enchanter. Irving sighed.

“What is wrong now, Gregoir?” he asked.

“You let the Warden in without consulting me first!” the Templar snapped. Duncan raised an eyebrow.

“I would have been let in either way, Greagoir, unless you plan on breaking the treaties. Why make me wait outside while the request reaches you?”

“Because I would have told you to go  _ away!” _ The commander snapped, turning to him. “Too many mages from this circle have already gone to Ostagar. Wynne, Uldred, and most of the senior mages! We’ve committed enough of our own to this war effort-”

“ ‘Our own’? Since when have you felt such kinship with the mages, Gregoir?” Irving cut off the other man with a dry, sardonic smile.

Neither of them noticed the door opening and then closing again, a shorter, red-haired, blue-eyed elf walked in, one eyebrow raised, lifting the light blue lines tattooed on her face closer towards her hairline. Just underneath that, encasing her eyelid and curling down her cheek, the tattoo continued, which honestly only seemed to make the light blue of her eyes even more dramatic She looked… calm, strangely so, her expression guarded but amused, eyes moving smoothly between the two arguing men before meeting Duncan’s gaze. She looked him over for a moment, and then, as if his presence wasn’t strange at all, went back to watching the argument.

“Or are you just afraid of letting the Mages out of the tower, where they can actually use their Maker-given powers?” Irving was saying, a challenge in his voice.

“How  _ dare _ you suggest…!” Greagoir started to respond, but Duncan, deciding it’d gone on long enough, rolled his eyes and said, “Gentleman,  _ please _ .” They both turned to him, Greagoir with a glare and Irving with an exasperated sigh. “Irving, I believe you have a guest.” He motioned with his head towards the elf, and the First Enchanter’s eyes lit.

“You sent for me?” She asked.

“Ah, yes.” Irving smiled warmly at her. “Atisha’len. I’m surprised you came so quickly! Come in, come in.” he motioned her forwards. Duncan watched her carefully; she moved with a silent sort of grace, and while she looked calm, there was something sharp in her eyes. Perhaps it was the dark blue ink on her skin that made her seem so intense, a smaller wing shape curling up a sharp cheekbone opposite the eye tattoo, or maybe it was the way she carried herself - complete calm, but clearly alert, ready for anything. 

_ She will do nicely. _ He thought, nearly certain this was the first girl whom Irving had told him about, the one who’d just passed her harrowing.

“This is…?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, and Irving nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes, this is she.” He replied. The girl’s eyebrow twitched, but otherwise no sign of her confusion showed.

“Well, Irving, you’re obviously busy, but we  _ will _ discuss this later.” Gregoir said, and then promptly marched from the room. Irving rolled his eyes, and the other man sighed.

“Right, well, where was I?” he muttered to himself. “Ah, yes.” he looked at Atisha’len, and then motioned to the man. “This is Duncan, of the Grey Wardens.” She looked Duncan in the eyes, and he nodded at her. She nodded back, saying, “Nice to meet you.”

“You’ve heard about the war brewing in the south, I suspect?” Irving asked her, and she nodded. “Yes, well, Duncan here is recruiting mages to join the king’s army at Ostagar.” She frowned.

“Who are we fighting?” she asked, and Duncan sighed.

“The Darkspawn threat is growing… we need all the help we can get.” he said. “The power you mages wield is an asset to any army. Your spells are very effective against large numbers of mindless darkspawn.” He paused. The he said, voice grave, “I fear if we don’t drive them back, we may see another Blight.”

“Duncan.” Irving cut him off. “Don’t worry the girl with talk of wars and Darkspawn - today is a happy day for her.”

“We live in troubled times, my friend.” Duncan replied with a rueful smile.

“We should seize such moments of levity,  _ especially _ in troubled times.” He looked at the girl once more. “Your Harrowing is behind you, and your phylactery has been sent to Denerim. You are officially a mage of the Circle of Magi!”

“Thank you, First Enchanter.” Atisha’len nodded at him. Duncan frowned.

“I’m sorry - what is this ‘phylactery’ you speak of?”

“Blood is taken from all apprentices and stored in special vials.” Irving explained.

“So they can be hunted if they turn Apostate.” Duncan finished in understanding, and Irving nodded with a sigh.

“We have few choices. Our gifts are looked upon with suspicion and fear… We must prove we can handle our powers responsibly.” He looked back to the mage. “You have done this. I present to you, your robes, your staff, and your ring with the Circle’s insignia on it.” He turned to his desk and picked up a long, purple dress, a wooden staff, and a little box. Then he held them out to her, and she took them with a smile, although she might have glared at the dress for a moment after accepting it.

“Thank you.” She said. “So what happens now?”

“Patience, child. You’ve been through quite the ordeal.” Irving said. “Let us not rush things. Of course, it goes without saying that you’re not to speak to anyone of what the Harrowing entails, yes?”

She frowned, and then nodded her head.

“Yes.”

“Good.” he nodded. “Then, take the day to rest, to study in the library perhaps. Relax. Celebrate.” he smiled at her, and she nodded back.

“I shall return to my quarters.” Duncan said. Then he looked at her. “Would you mind accompanying me? I have brought along a… friend, perhaps, that I would like for you to meet.” She blinked in surprise, but nodded.

“It’d be my pleasure.” she said.

“Right, well, if you’ll both excuse me, then…” Irving said. “I have matters to discuss with  _ Gregoir _ .” he groaned the name, and Duncan held back a laugh. He knew the two men, despite their fighting, were fairly close friends.

“Yes, let’s go.” He agreed, and then led her from the room. They walked down the hallways towards the library, and then up some stairs, down even more hallways.

“Who is your friend?” Tish asked him as they walked. Duncan smiled, but it wasn’t exactly one of those happy smiles, more like… regretful.

“His name is Minehn.” Duncan said. “He’s a Dalish elf, and was training to be a warrior… now, though, he’s decided to come with me and become a Warden. He’s about your age, and I think talking to someone besides me would be… beneficial.”

_ Perhaps she can help him deal with the loss of his friend. _ He thought. It was obvious Min didn’t intend to talk with him about it, and to be honest, that didn’t really bother him all that much. What’d happened was sad, but he had more important things to deal with than the loss of one teenager. Still, he knew to Min, Tamlenhad been more than ‘just one teenager’ and that talking to someone might help…

He hoped this mage could be that help.

The girl frowned, but said nothing, choosing to simply nod instead. It wasn’t long until they reached the room, and Duncan smiled gently at her before knocking on the door. “Minehn?” he called, pushing it open. “I’ve returned from my meeting with Irving… I’d like you to meet someone. This is Atisha’len.” he motioned her through the door. “She’s just recently become a full-fledged Mage of the Circle.”

“Hello.” she said, nodding her head slightly. “I’m Atisha’len. Tish, for short, if you prefer.”

“I’m, uh, Min. Mahariel. Minehn. Uhm...” The elven boy’s eyes were wide and he was blushing slightly. Duncan sighed.

“Nice to meet you.” The girl said, either not noticing or not caring about the elf’s shyness. “How has your stay been so far?”

“It’s… different?” He shrugged. “I lived in a forest before, so the middle-of-a-lake thing is a bit… weird.” He was twirling the bottom of his braid around a finger. She smiled slightly, amused, and Duncan watched silently from the side. This was still more than he’d gotten Min to say in the entire three-day journey from the forest.

“Yes, I can see how that would be an adjustment.” she replied. “It was for me too, when I first got here.” He hesitated, and then said, “The floor’s a lot… colder? Than I’m used to?” He picked up his feet, and Duncan stared.

The soles of his shoes had been removed. Tish, too, looked taken aback for a moment, and then broke into another gentle smile. Duncan was impressed. The girl was certainly good at covering up her emotions… whether that was beneficial for a Warden or not would remain to be seen.

“My friends are really what makes it bearable.” She said, and then, “We’re eating together in the library around seven. You should join us.”

_ Yes. _ Duncan nodded in approval.  _ Good plan. _

_ She is good at reading people too, then. _

“I-- uhm.” Still, Min seemed somewhat reluctant, before sighing and nodding, “Alright.” He gave up, and Duncan let out a small sigh of relief.

“I’ll see you there, then.” she replied to the elf, and then turned to the Warden, bowing her head slightly. “Perhaps I’ll see you again, too.”

“I would like that.” Duncan nodded, looking her up and down thoughtfully. She smiled.

“Until then,” she said, and, with one last glance at the strange boy, she turned and walked away. The door closed behind her, and Duncan turned to the elf.

“Are you doing alright?” he asked. Min shrugged.

“This place is very different from the village.” He replied. Duncan chuckled.

“I’d imagine so.” He said.

“Why do they lock the mages in here?” He asked. “We have mages in our clan. Keeper, and Merrill… they aren’t dangerous.”

Duncan sighed.

“People are afraid, and when they are afraid, they do things that are sometimes irrational.” He said. “These circles were supposed to be schools, not prisons. I’m not entirely sure how well they’ve served that purpose, though…”

Min thought about that for a moment, a frown on his f ace.

“Why are they afraid?”

“Because magic attracts demons.” Duncan said. “Have you never had an abomination in your village?” The elf shook his head.

“All our mages are kind.” He replied. “Maybe the ones trapped here turn to demons  _ because _ they’re trapped, and don’t have another choice. The Dalish mages are free, and they don’t practice blood magic.” His voice was slightly bitter, and Duncan sighed.

“Maybe you are right.” He said. “But changing this would take something huge happening. For now, there is nothing we can do. People think that mages are dangerous, so they block them from the world.” Min frowned.

“Magic  _ can _ be dangerous.” He said. “I’ve seen Merrill fight… but then, so can anyone, when they’re backed into a corner.”

“I suppose you have a point.” Duncan conceded.

“Merrill would hate it here.” Min murmured, looking away. The warden hesitated.

“Do you miss her?” He asked.

Min stared at him for a moment, and then turned away again.

He didn’t bother to reply. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was six forty five, and Tish finally sighed and pushed back from the table in the library where she’d been sitting with her friends. Ptol, a small boy with bleach-blond hair and bright, inquisitive blue eyes, frowned slightly.

“Where are you going?” he asked, and she smiled.

“I’m going to go see if Minhen still wants to eat with us.” she replied.

“I’ll go with you.” Kat offered. “I’m a bit excited to meet this purple eyed elf of yours.” Tish nodded at her, smiling. Kat was like a sister to her: human, and taller than everyone in their group, with red hair that just brushed her shoulders flying out in a wild bob and strikingly sharp features, she was the designated ‘mom friend’ of their group, always there for everyone.

Always there for Tish. 

“Ooooh!!” Ptol lit up. “Me too!”

“Let’s not assault him before he even gets down here, yes?” Ameli smiled, her amber eyes as gentle as ever, and Ptol’s face fell. Kat grinned at her girlfriend gratefully.

“We’ll bring him right here, pinkie promise.” She added.

“Fineeeeeeee.” The blonde boy rolled his eyes, pouting jokingly.

“We’ll be right back.” Tish assured him. Then she and Kat set off towards the hall where the Wardens were staying. “I think this is it.” Tish said, stopping in front of a door. She knocked.

There was a long pause. Kat frowned.

“Try again?” She offered. Tish did.

There was another long pause.

“Is he still here?”

“Maybe this is the wrong room?” Tish said, frowning.

And then, just as they were turning away, the door opened, and a voice said, “Oh! Hi. Um. Hi.” Tish turned, and then smiled, seeing the elven boy from earlier standing uncertainly in the doorway.

“Hello again.” she said. Then she gestured to the taller, darker haired girl beside her. “This is Kaite. She’s one of my friends.”

“So you’re Minehn, then.” she smiled warmly. “It’s nice to meet you. Also, just Kat is fine.”

“I’m just Min, then.” He replied, and Kat laughed.

“Alright, then. Min it is.” She said.

“Are you still coming to dinner?” Tish asked.

“Yeah. I-- yeah.” He scuffled one of his feet on the ground, looking vaguely uncomfortable, and Tish nodded in approval. They started walking down the hallway, and for a moment there was a long pause, during which none of them really knew what to say. They were all strangers after all, and Tish was by nature pretty silent, and it appeared that Min was too, from what she’d seen of him so far. She could tell there was something weighing on him, but she hadn’t a clue what it could be, and knew it wasn’t much her place to ask.

“So, you’re going to be a Warden?” Kat asked, breaking the silence, and Min almost seemed to jump in surprise.

“Oh, um. Yeah, I guess so.” He replied hesitantly.

“That sounds pretty cool.” Kat smiled encouragingly. “Getting to save people, fighting the darkspawn, and all that.”

“I… guess so.” He repeated, even quieter this time. 

Kat frowned, but decided not to push. Instead she said, “So how do you like it here in our humble abode?” He blinked, and then shrugged.

“It’s big.” He said. “And a lot… whiter than I’m used to. And colder. The floor, at least. I’m used to a forest, so.”

“So this is quite the stretch, then.” Kat said, eyes widened. He nodded.

“There’s a lot more people here than in my clan, too.” He said, but then winced, and didn’t say anything else. Kat and Tish shared a glance behind his back, both of them concerned and confused, but kept walking.

When they reached the library, Ptol was waiting for them.

“Hiya!” he said brightly, running right up in front of Min and sticking his hand out. “I’m Ptol! You’re the Warden recruit, right?”

“Uh.” Min’s eyes were wide, and he flushed. “Yeah. I’m Min.” He said, and gingerly took the boy’s hand. Ptol, seemingly unaware of the elf’s aversion to people, shook it heartily.

Tish was fairly certain the boy’s arm was going to shake right off.

“Alright, Ptol, come on.” Kat chuckled, ushering him towards the table. “At least let him sit down before you start badgering him.”

“I wasn’t badgering!” Ptol argued, but did as he was asked, darting back to the table and slipping into one of the chairs. “Why do we have to eat in the library, anyway? We’ve already got enough classes in here! Don’t you want to, you know,  _ move around?”  _ He asked, shaggy blonde hair falling in his excited green eyes.

“And see what?” Kat retorted. “More grey walls? Or perhaps we could stare out at the miles of lake around us out the window. It’s such a nice view, you know. Endless fog and water. Simply gorgeous.”

“Some of the sunsets and sunrises can be nice.” A new voice joined the conversation, and Tish looked up to see Ameli standing there with a light smile on her face, straight dark hair pulled into a messy bun behind her neck. “If you get up early enough.”

“Yeah, well, some of us  _ like _ sleeping, you know, like normal people do.” Kat laughed, shaking her head. Then she stood and pressed a quick kiss against her girlfriend’s cheek. Ameli blushed, light pink appearing against her darker skin, and smiled fondly.

“Awwwwww!” Ptol cooed. Kat grinned at him, and the rest of them laughed, while Min just flushed and stared at the lot of them with a half-open mouth, eyes wide with surprise.

Well, all of them laughed except Jowan, who instead frowned and sat back in his chair, shaggy brown hair falling into his face and getting stuck on the short fuzz of his beard as it did so. He huffed and brushed it away, and continued glowering at the rest of the table in silence.Tish sent him an understanding glance.

Jowan had someone who was important to him, too. But she was a sister of the Chantry, and Chantry sisters could not be with Mages, especially not apprentices. Seeing his friends in open, happy relationships tended to remind him of what he couldn’t have.

“So!” Kat said, turning to the elf. “Everyone, this is Min. Min, this is everyone.” She grinned, gesturing at the table.

“Um.” He was bright red now, all the way to the tips of his pointed ears. “Hi.”

“I’m Ameli.” The half-elf said, nodding her head at him with the same small, ever present smile on her face that she always wore, her amber eyes soft and welcoming.

“I’m Ptol!”

“You already introduced yourself, stupid.” Kat rolled her eyes, and he pouted.

“Well now we’re introducing  _ everyone _ , right?”

“Ugh.” She said, but she was laughing. “Anyways…”

“I’m Jowan.” The man who spoke had darker brown hair and a shaggy beard. He was human, but his voice was awkwardly high pitched for a male his age – about twenty or so – and, while Min still nodded at him, internally he was frowning.

Something felt…  _ off _ , about the mage, when he looked at him.

He ignored it in lieu of actually listening to what Kat was saying.

“…can sit wherever you like, we’re not picky.” She was guestring at the table.

_ Right. _ He sighed, hesitating.  _ I don’t know where to go! _

“Min, Min,  _ Min! _ ” Ptol waved. “This seat is open, come sit by me!”

Kat looked like she wanted to protest, but Min couldn’t find a reason to say no, and besides… he was more comfortable around children than he was strangers his age. And honestly, most of them were older than him, in their twenties. He was only seventeen…

So, shrugging, he went and sat by the blonde boy. Kat laughed.

“You might regret that, you know.”

“No way, this is so  _ cool!” _ Ptol grinned. “I can’t believe it! You’re actually going to be a Warden, right? And you came from a Dalish clan, didn’t you! You have the same tattoos as my cousin! He was Dalish, but my dad moved us to the Alienage to live with my mom, so I was born there.” He wrinkled his nose. “I got caught by some Templars when I was trying to help a cat whose tail was stuck in a grate.”

“I’m sorry...” Min said, frowning. “Wait, they caught you helping a cat, and brought you here?”

“Yeah.” Ptol shrugged. “Because, you know. I’m a mage.” He twirled his fingers, and a spark of fire appeared in his palm. Min stared at it.

He didn’t see fire magic often. Most of the mages in his clan had been healers, or earth users. Fire magic was something he’d honestly only heard of.

“Hey, what do the markings mean?” the boy asked. “I know they mean  _ something, _ but I don’t know what.”

“Oh.” Min blinked. “Uh, they’re representative of one of my gods.” He said.

“That’s so cool!” Ptol exclaimed. “I wish I was born Dalish like you!” he paused, and then asked, “Are everyone’s eyes like yours in the clan?”

Min blinked again.

“What?”

“Purple, I mean.” Ptol said, leaning closer, and Min flushed.

“Uhm. No? It’s. Sort of rare… I guess?”

“That’s so  _ cooooool!” _ Ptol said brightly, sitting back in his seat once more, green eyes sparkling with excitement. Across the table, Kat rolled her eyes.

“Spoil him too much and he’ll always be like this.” She warned. Ptol stuck his tongue out at her, and she repeated the motion back at him. Ameli sighed.

“I sometimes wonder if Tish and I are the only grown ups here.” She said.

“Hey!” Jowan protested, and she sent him a teasing smile.

“Min, why’s your hair so long?” Ptol asked suddenly. “Do you always braid it? Do you like it long?”

“Uh…”

“Do all Dalish elves grow their hair out?” he blinked. “Should  _ I _ grow  _ my _ hair out?”

“I don’t…”

“My hair is too curly, though. It’d never braid like yours does.” Ptol just kept right on talking, and Min was honestly sort of grateful for it, but also felt bad as he wasn’t responding to any of the questions (not that he was really given the chance, to be honest).

“Maker, Ptol, give him a chance to say something too!” Kat laughed.

“Oh.” The boy paused, and then looked back at Min. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright.” He replied. Tish smiled, watching them from her seat next to Jowan. Min was still red, but he looked a bit more relaxed than he had before, if that made any sort of sense. She was generally good at reading people; at the very least, Ptol’s incessant questioning would perhaps keep the elf’s mind off whatever it was that’d been weighing on him.

She almost envied him, wishing something could take her mind off the Harrowing she’d just experienced. Having to kill the demon, the betrayal of mouse… it was all still too fresh, to real.

“Are you alright?” Jowan asked her, frowning. She smiled at him and shrugged.

“Just tired.” She replied. “I’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep.”

“If you’re sure.” He said, but kept glancing at her in concern. “Oh, um… about that thing, that I needed help with…”

“Yes?” she asked, frowning. He looked hesitant. Whatever this was, it was important… she rarely ever saw Jowsn so serious.

“Can I talk to you about it after we eat?” He asked. “I’m running out of time…” his voice was urgent, and Tish frowned.

“Of course, Jowan. Whatever you need.” She replied, worried. Jowan did tend to over-exaggerate, and could be a bit paranoid, but he was still her best friend – he’d been the first one to talk to her after she’d been brought to the circle. They were bunkmates – he’d slept above her every day since she’d arrived. One wouldn’t think they’d be friends, honestly; Jowan was sort of whiney, and dramatic, but he did look out for people, and he did his best just like they all had to do in the circle. Recently, though, he’d been acting strange… whispering more often, constantly looking over his shoulder.

Tish just hoped it wasn’t in too much trouble for her to fix.

When they’d finished eating, Kat and Ameli once again told Min how nice it was to meet him, wished him good luck, and then disappeared together into the depths of the library to do who-knows-what. Tish smiled at him and shook his hand, but she still looked very… distant, like she was far, far away in a world moving at a different speed than everyone else’s, and was then more or less dragged out of the room by Jowan, who basically just ignored Min’s presence the entire night.

Which, honestly, the mage gave him the creeps, so he was kind of okay with that?

But that just left him and the small blonde boy alone, and he wasn’t quite sure what to do, because… he didn’t just want to  _ leave _ , but he sort of did want to get back to the room, but then it’s not like there was anything to do there either…

“So what now?” Ptol asked him. Min blinked, and then shrugged.

“I, um. I don’t know.” He replied nervously, and then a thought came to him. He hesitated, though, and Ptol rolled his eyes, smiling encouragingly.

“If you want to say something, you can.” He said. “It’ll be fine, you’ll see!”

“Do you think…” Min started, and then paused. “That is, are we… allowed on the roof?”

Ptol stared at moment.

Then he started to laugh.

“You’re a funny guy, Min.” he said. “I like you.” Then he hopped out of his chair. “Come on!”

“Where are we going?” Min frowned.

“To talk to First Enchanter Irving about going on the roof, dummy!” the boy replied, bounding out of the room. Min flushed and stood, then hurried out after him, not wanting to be left behind, seeing as the blonde haired boy didn’t seem to intent on waiting.

But there he was, just outside the door, grinning bright as ever.

“Come on!” He repeated, dancing off down the hallway.

Min watched him, twirling and waving at people as he did so, and for the first time in nearly four days, a small smile worked its way onto his face. Then, with a little sigh, he followed Ptol, through the corridors and past many rooms until they stopped just outside of a rather imposing room with a fancy arch way that none of the others had.

“This is the First Enchanter’s office.” Ptol explained with a grin, and knocked on the door.

“Come in!” the vaguely familiar elderly voice called, and the small elf shoved the door open and bounded inside, a warm chuckle sounding from within. “Ptol, what brings you here?”

Min shifted hesitantly, stepping into the doorway, but didn’t walk all the way into the office, a blush coloring his cheeks.

“Min wants to see the stars!” Ptol said, and Min’s blush grew.

_ I just want to be up high… _ he thought to himself.  _ Although I guess stars are nice too? _

The First Enchanter’s eyes slid over to him, and he tensed, waiting for his request to be rejected or ridiculed or something, but the man just smiled.

“I’d imagine this place is rather constricting for you.” He said. “I understand you come from a Dalish village, yes?” He nodded. “Hmm… normally apprentices are not allowed to the upper floors.” He said, looking back to Ptol. “Can I trust you?”

“You know it!” Ptol said. “I won’t run away, First Enchanter, pinkie promise!” Irving laughed, and ruffled the boy’s hair fondly.

“Alright, then… it’ll just be our secret. Don’t tell Greagoir, yeah?”

“Sure.” The boy agreed with a laugh. Then he accepted the key Irving passed to him and bounded back to the door. “We won’t be too long! Thanks, First Enchanter!”

“Be careful up there!” The mage called back, still chuckling.

“Uhm… Th. Thanks.” Min said, attempted a hesitant smile, although he was almost certain it was more of a grimace than anything, and he winced.

Then he closed the door before he had a chance to judge the mage’s reaction.

When he turned around however, he nearly fan face-first into Tish. Well, chest-first. He was tall. Her head barely passed his chin.

“Oh, excuse me.” She said politely, that distant air about her still, now even more so than before. Her eyes were troubled, and she wasn’t even looking at him, instead staring at the First Enchanter’s door.

“Min! What are you doing here?” He looked behind her only to see Kat, the same worried look on her face, although she still looked more approachable than Tish ever did. “Actually, sorry, but we’ve got to do something. Can’t stand and talk, you know?” She shrugged, and he nodded.

“Oh, uh. It’s fine. Here.” He backed up out of the way. Tish glanced at him and gave a quick smile that was just as polite as her words, thanked him, and then disappeared inside, Kat a moment behind her, the door barely opening as the two of them slipped inside and closing barely a second after they were through. He frowned, wondering if something was wrong for a moment, then shrugged and turned to look back at the small blonde boy, still bouncing excitedly in the hallway.

“Come on!” Ptol reached out and grabbed his hands. “Let’s go! This is going to be  _ so cool! _ ”

Min blinked at him.

Then he smiled again.

“Alright, I’m coming.” He said. “Lead the way.”


	3. Amell

“It’s so  _ preeeeeeety! _ ” Ptol gasped, gaping out at the lake below him, and at the dim city lights in the distance. “Look! You can see the sky in the lake!” He pointed, and Min looked down.

Starts, billions of them, looked back at him, reflected from the surrounding lake’s surface, as well as a willowy reflection of the moon. In the forest, there were clearings where one could get looks at the sky, but for the most part trees covered them. This… this was…

_ This is amazing. _ He thought, looking out, and up, and to the left and right, the whole world spread before him like it was at his fingertips. He felt so  _ free _ , for the first time in what felt like forever, and if he peered into the distance, he liked to imagine he could see it… the forest where his clan was, his family, Merrill and Fenarel…

He knew that was impossible, of course. They were far too far away to see, even from the top of the tower with his fancy elf vision. But it was nice to imagine it, at least. It made them feel so much closer, and for just that moment, a bit of the enveloping loneliness that’d been haunting him faded away.

“Do you like the stars, Min?” Ptol asked. Min looked at him, and shrugged.

“They’re pretty.” He said. “I just… like being up high.” He looked out. “Being able to see things that are far away, and all that.”

“But…” Ptol frowned. “In a forest, you can’t see things far away. So how’d you know you like heights?”

“Trees.” Min answered with a smile, memories flashing through his mind. “When we were little, we’d go out and climb them, and see who could see the farthest. Tamlen and I wo…” he stopped short.

The smile faded.

He looked away, suddenly unable to see through watery eyes.

_ Fenhedis. _

He wasn’t one to curse, but in this situation, it seemed appropriate.

Ptol looked at him in alarm, eyes widening.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Did I do something?”

“No, no…. no.” Min shook his head and sighed, leaning against the handle bar, looking down at the lake once more, and at the sky in it’s mirroring surface. “It’s not you.” His voice was soft. Ptol frowned, still concerned. He copied Min’s position, leaning against the rail and looking down, hoping that perhaps the lake would provide some answers, but it didn’t.

“Do you miss the woods?” He asked.

“Yes.”

“And your friends?”

“Yes.”

Ptol hesitated, and then asked, “And… Tamlen? That was his name, right?”

There was a very long pause. Min wasn’t sure he could answer. But then…

“…yes.”

It was soft, barely heard, the wind stealing the word away moments after it left his lips. He wasn’t sure Ptol understood it, but the boy didn’t ask any more questions, and for that Min was glad, unsure that he’d be able to keep his voice steady if he tried to form any more answers. He stared at the lake, at the stars in its surface, and, in the darkness of the night, he let silent tears fall down his face, rolling off his chin into the water far below.

He liked to imagine he could see the ripples they made on the lake when they hit it’s glass-like surface, but, just like seeing his home, or watching Merrill’s fingers dance with magic, or like climbing trees with Tamlen, ever again…

He knew it was impossible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tish’s feet were thudding quickly into the ground as she rushed down the hallway, thoughts spinning through her head. She didn’t  _ want _ to believe it. Jowan, using blood magic? The idea was insanity… Or was it? He’d been acting so strangely, lately. She’d thought it was because he was nervous someone would catch him with the Chantry sister, Lily… but, in all honesty, she was fairly certain the First Enchanter would already know. He knew a lot of things; he was also very lenient. Jowan did too… She knew him well enough.

She should have, at least.

The problem was, perhaps she knew him  _ too _ well. Jowan, always looking for the easy way out… always complaining about how hard their tests were but never making the effort to pass… always sleeping or sneaking off when he thought people weren’t watching because he was bored, and thought it was all pointless.

Now he was making plans to escape. He’d taken her to the library after dinner, to an alcove where he and his secret girlfriend would meet. Together they’d told him their plan, and their reason for it. Lily told Jowan they were going to make him Tranquil… he wanted to escape, and, as his closest friend, asked her to help him.

And part of Tish really did want to. But the other part knew that they  _ wouldn’t _ do that, make him Tranquil that is, they  _ couldn't… _

Not unless they had proof. She trusted the First Enchanter. He was not her father; as far as she was concerned, she didn’t have one. But she knew he was a rational man, and, more importantly, she knew how he felt about mages. It wasn’t so much the students themselves; they were just that. Students. People. Words on a roster he checked off every day. But  _ mages _ were people he had to fight for, look out for, because he was the First Enchanter, and it was his job to stand for the mages.

So if he was going to make Jowan Tranquil, then there was a reason behind it. Whether or not it was a real reason… Tish  _ had _ to know.

_ I don’t want to believe it. _ She thought. But then, she hadn’t wanted to believe it when her father stood by and let her mother scream at her, hadn’t wanted to believe it when her mother called the Templars to take her away, hadn’t wanted to believe it when she’d seen the Templar run her father through in their kitchen. She clenched her fist.  _ There are a lot of things I don’t want to believe. _

_ But that doesn’t make them untrue. _

She knocked on the door in front of her, and Kat’s face poked out.

“What is… oh, Tish.” Her friend said, smiling for a moment, but then the smile faded to a frown. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Jowan.” Tish said. “And I don’t know what to do.”

She could  _ see _ the realization set into Kat’s features. A dark light entered her friend’s eyes, and she opened the door a bit farther.

“Come in.”

Tish entered, and Kat closed the door behind her.

“Now what happened?” Kat asked, and Tish sighed.

“He believes he is going to be made tranquil.” She said, her voice measured and careful as always. Kat frowned.

“Why?”

“There are rumors that he is… practicing blood magic.” Tish said, sighing. “He insists they are just rumors, however.” Kat’s frowned deepened.

“And you don’t believe him?” She asked carefully.

And Tish hesitated. That was not something she did often. Then she sighed again.

“I don’t know.” She said honestly. “That’s why I came to you. I’m… too close to him. I don’t want to see it. I don’t see how he could be using blood magic, but I’d like your opinion.” Kat studied her for a moment, and then sighed.

“And if I say he’s not, what will you do?” She said. “Help him escape?” Tish frowned.

“Perhaps, but… If he is truly not a blood mage, then the First Enchanter should be able to be convinced. If there’s no evidence, or if it was faked, that should be easy enough to prove. But if there’s chance it's  _ real… _ ”

“…and what if I said I thought he was?” Kat asked next, not prompting her to finish. Tish paused, and for a second a bit of her mask slipped, allowing Kat to see the conflict inside her.

“I…”

Tish was never at a loss for words. She always knew what to say, was always calculated and precise and ready with an answer. She had a dry humor at times, but was good at being objective, and didn’t take much BS from anyone. She was smart. Refined. Clear-headed.

But now? Now she didn’t know what to do, or say, and she didn’t have an answer.

And really, she hated it.

“Will you go to the First Enchanter?” Kat asked. Tish blinked. Then, mask returning, her face grew impassively cold, but not towards Kat, specifically, just… the world.

“I won’t have a choice.” She said. “I could let him go free, but… blood magic, dealing with demons, I… won’t be responsible for letting that out in the world, Kat. I can’t.” She shook her head. “And I  _ asked _ him. If he lied to me, managed to lie right to my face, then he is…” she paused. “He is far different a person than who he used to be. He could never lie to me before.”

“He could always trust you.” Kat shrugged. Tish frowned.

“Is it my fault that he’s dealing with demons?” She asked, not sarcastically. Kat was silent for a moment.

“So then you already know what you believe.” She said. Tish’s mouth opened, and then closed.

“Yes.”

The two girls stared at each other for a moment, and then Kat exhaled slowly, rubbing her eyes.

“I’ve believed it for a few days, now, too.” She admitted. “I heard the rumors, some girls in the hallway were talking about it. I’ve been trying to figure out who it was that saw him, so I could talk to them myself, but so far…” she shrugged. “Still, it… it would make a lot of sense with everything, Tish.”

“I know.” The elf replied. “I was just hoping I was wrong.”

There was a pause.

“So what now? We tell Irving?” Kat asked.

For a moment there was silence. Then Tish pushed the door open without a word and walked out into the hallway, Kat following silently behind her.

They were heading for the First Enchanter’s office.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Did you feel that?”

Min frowned.

“What?” He asked, the first words either of them had said in a good twenty minutes. It’d actually… been really nice, standing on the roof. With Duncan at his side all hours of the day, he hadn’t really been able to let himself actually  _ feel _ what’d happened. It’d been numb, inside of him…

Granted, now it burned, and stung, and he sort of just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, but he wasn’t sure he had enough tears left in his body anymore. He wasn’t sure which was better, honestly – the numb denial that was feeling absolutely nothing at all, or this burning, screaming  _ agony _ that was feeling it all at once.

“There it was again!” Ptol said, frowning. “The tower… it’s  _ shaking. _ ” Min frowned, focusing for a moment, and then realized the boy was right, small tremors vibrating under his feet. He sighed.

“Maybe it’s just the wind? There’ve been some stronger gusts recently…” Min offered with a shrug. Ptol didn’t look convinced, but he nodded.

“Oh, yeah… maybe.”

They lapsed into silence once more. It lasted for a few minutes, maybe ten.

And then Ptol gasped.

“Is that  _ Jowan?” _

Min looked at him, frowning.

“What?”

“There!” Ptol pointed urgently, panic all over his face. Min looked out over the lake.

“Oh.”

It  _ was _ Jowan.

He was in a boat, without an escort, paddling quickly away from the tower as fast as he could.

“What’s he  _ doing?” _ Ptol demanded. “We’ve got to get down there. Come on!” And, with that, he set off back towards the door that led inside. Min looked down one last time, disbelief on his face as he stared at the small boat, and then he turned and followed, having to almost run to keep up with the smaller boy even despite his longer legs.

“…as I said, they were working under my orders.”

Min and Ptol arrived in just enough time to hear the First Enchanter speaking. Tish and Kat were standing side-by-side, Irving and Greagoir across from them. Greagoir looked furious, and Irving exhausted.

But Tish was pale, and so was Kat. The elder girl was staring at the elf with concern, obviously trying to catch her eye, but Tish was staring steadfastly ahead.

Her fists were clenched at her sides, and Min thought that might have been the first sign of not-complete-calm from her.

“What’s going on?” Ptol asked angrily, stocking right into the middle of it. Min flushed as suddenly all eyes turned to them.

“Uh…”

“Not YOU again!” Greagoir cursed. “Did you have something to do with this too?”

“W-what?” Min squeaked his flush growing.

“The Phylactery chamber is forbidden to all save you and me, Irving!” The Templar shouted, completely ignoring him.

“I had my reasons.” Irving replied, a low-lying challenge present in his voice as his arms crossed his chest.

“You’re not all-knowing, Irving.” Greagoir said through gritted teeth. “You don’t know how much influence the blood mage might have had. How are we to deal with this?”

_ ”Blood mage? _ ” Ptol demanded, echoing Min’s thoughts exactly. “Who’s a blood mage? Tish and Kat are  _ not _ blood mages!” He sounded absolutely furious.

“No, Ptol.” Kat said gently, taking his arm. “It… it was Jowan. He attacked us…”

Tish’s fist clenched tighter, and suddenly a lot more things made sense. The weird feeling Min had gotten around the mage, for one.

“Knight-Commander, if I may…”

A new voice cut in, and Min sighed. By this point, it was a familiar one, after all.

“I am not only looking for mages to join the king’s army, I am also recruiting for the Grey Wardens.” Duncan said, striding up to them.

Min blinked.

_ Wardens? _ He thought. He’d known they were going out looking for recruits, sort of, but honestly not much had been sinking in recently, as he’d been in a numb sort of turtle shell that feelings and information pinged off of without really being registered.

“Irving spoke highly of both these mages, and I would like to ask them to join the Warden ranks.” He paused. “It is not often we take two people so closely linked, but in this case I am willing to make the exception.”

_ ”WHAT?!” _ Greagoir sounded like he was going to have a heart attack. “You promised him a new Grey Warden?” He whirled on Irving, face bright red with fury.

“They have both served the circle well and would make excellent Grey Wardens.” Irving replied steadily.

“We look for dedication in our recruits. Fighting the darkspawn requires such dedication, often at the expense of all else.” He said, and something about that made Tish’s nails dig even deeper into her palms, although Min wasn’t quite sure what. He was mostly stuck on the ‘look for dedication in recruits’ bit.

He honestly wasn’t recruited he was just… saved. Not chosen for bravery, or dedication… he was  _ weak _ . He couldn’t even save Tamlen when he’d been standing  _ right beside him. _ If that’s what the Wardens were looking for, perhaps… perhaps all of this was a horrible idea.

Not that he  _ didn’t _ want to help save people, just… why had Duncan saved him in the first place? Hopeless ‘dedication’ to a friend who would never like him back, the very same ‘dedication’ that’d convinced him to let Tamlen go to the cave, to touch the mirror? What did he have that these quotable ‘noble and powerful’ Grey Wardens would want?

“I object.” Greagoir said flatly, and honestly Min wasn’t all that surprised. “You claim they operated under your instruction, Irving, but I don’t trust them.”

_ What instructions? _ Min wondered, and Ptol looked as confused as he felt, but also a good bit angrier, standing there with Kat’s hand still on his shoulder.

“I must investigate this issue, and I will  _ not _ release these mages to the Grey Warden.” Greagoir finished, crossing his arms angrily. Duncan frowned, and Min got the feeling the fight wasn’t over for him.

“Greagoir, mages are needed.  _ These mages are needed. _ Worse things plague this world than blood mages. _ You know that. _ ”

Min looked at the Templar – he honestly wasn’t sure anything would get the man to give up, for a moment, but then…

“I will take both of these mages under my care and bear all responsibility for their actions.” Duncan continued, placing on hand on either girl’s shoulder. Min frowned, looking between them. Neither of them had really been asked if they  _ wanted _ to join, had they?

Tish still looked pale, and distant, but she always looked distant… this was different, though. Whatever had happened, she was not alright. Min could relate to that, in a way. Kat, however, just looked distressed, staring between the three men and Tish, back and forth, back and forth, rubbing Ptol’s shoulders comfortingly. Whether it was for her benefit or his, Min couldn’t tell. Perhaps a bit of both?

“They do not  _ deserve _ places in the Order!” Greagoir practically screamed.

“Bullshit!”

Everyone stopped and turned to Ptol.

“If anyone deserves to join the Wardens, it’s Kat and Tish.” He said, staring the Templar down (even though he was shorter, which was honestly sort of impressive from Min’s standpoint) with fire in his eyes. “They’re the best mages here, and they’re the most caring people, and the smartest, and-“

“Hush, boy, and scamper on back to your chambers.” Greagoir snapped. “Your opinions of your friends do them no credit.”

“Why yo-“

“Ptol.” Tish finally spoke. Her voice was like steel, but not directed at the boy, specifically. “Please.” Those two words were all it took, it seemed.

Ptol’s mouth snapped shut, and all the angry tension leaked from his shoulders. In its place, there was simple worry, and he watched the rest in silence, several times starting to speak but then deciding better of it.

“And why don’t they deserve a place?” Irving asked, going back to their original argument. “Do we not reward service? Both Kaite and Atisha’len have served the circle well.”

Duncan then turned to both the girls.

“You have an opportunity few even dream of.” He said. “Do not squander it.”

Min frowned.

He hadn’t dreamed of it. And honestly, neither Tish nor Kat looked like they dreamed of it, either. In fact, the only person at the tower who’d seemed excited about the Wardens was Ptol, but Duncan didn’t look the least bit interested in him.

“So I am to be a Warden, then?”

Tish was the one who spoke, and for a second, everyone just stared at her, Ptol most of all. “Is that what you all have decided?”

“Yes.” Irving said, and Min sort of wanted to protest, because it was sort of obvious that A) Tish was in no position to be making this choice now, and B) she wasn’t really all that excited about going in the first place, but also he was bright red and in the background and was fairly certain no one would really listen if he actually tried to say something. Bedsides, he still wasn’t 100% sure what was going on in the first place, honestly. “Be proud, child. You are luckier than you know.” Irving continued.

_ Lucky, right. Getting to wander all around Fereldan with an old Warden and a lonely elf. _ Min thought.  _ Do they even know what they’re signing up for? _

“Thank you for everything, First Enchanter.” Tish said. Her voice was cold. Uncaring. Impassive.

“Tish, wait a minute.” Kat finally cut her off, stepping forwards. “We can’t just  _ leave,  _ and I…” she swallowed. “Ameli is here. I can’t just leave her.”

“Child, this chance is one in a million.” Irving said, disapproval coloring his voice. “Do not give it up over some foolish fling.”

A deadly furious calm came over Kat’s face, and Min’s eyes widened.

He backed up a pace.

_ She looks terrifying. _ He thought.

“Ameli is  _ not _ a fling.” She hissed through her teeth. “I love her. And I want to stay with her. If you make me leave, then you’d damn well let me write her, and you’d damn well have a spot for me to come back to once I kick the darkspawn’s ass because Maker knows I  _ won’t leave her here alone.” _

Min stared.

_ Would I have been able to do that for Tamlen? Promise to come back and live in this… prison? _ He wondered for a split second, and then felt sort of like he was going to get sick because that was really not the time, and it wouldn’t matter anymore anyways, would it? Tamlen was  _ gone, _ and even if he wasn’t he was still not into… Min. And never would have been. So thinking about it was just… pointless. Right?

“The circle remembers all it’s apprentices, but the Wardens will be your family now, child.” Irving said gently.

_ ”I. will. write.” _ She spat. “And I  _ will _ come back.”

“O-of course… there is always a spot for you here.” Irving amended, his calm finally breaking slightly under her anger.

“If we manage to defeat the darkspawn, you may return to your life here if you so choose.” Duncan agreed. “But for now, you’re needed-“

“Oh, please shut up.” Kat said, not rudely. “I’ll apologize for that later, but for now just… everyone  _ shut up _ , okay?” She sighed in frustration.

“I still think we need to evaluate the situation!” Greagoir said. “We don’t know if they’re influenced by the blood magic or not! What if they need to be…” He started, and then paused, looking between them.

“So those are our options, then?” Tish asked. “Tranquility or becoming Wardens.” She laughed, but there was absolutely no humor in it. “I’ll go pack my bags.”

“Tish, wait-!” Kat said, but Tish just pushed her off and walked away, shoes echoing in the empty hallway as she did so. She watched her leave hopelessly, then turned back to the three men, fury returning once more. “I hope you are all satisfied.” She said. “I’m going to say goodbye to my  _ girlfriend _ . You’d best pray to the Maker she doesn’t freeze you all in your sleep.” Then she turned and marched off down the hallway after Tish, Ptol at her heels. For a moment, there was a long pause. Then Greagoir let out a small scream of anger and left through the front door, slamming it as he went. Irving sighed.

“That could have gone better.” He said. Min shifted awkwardly, wondering if he should just leave, or…

“Perhaps.” Duncan agreed. “But it is done.” He turned over his shoulder to give min a rueful smile. “Well, at least now the two of us will have some company on our journey, yes?”

“Uhm. Sure…” Min replied, flushing. “I’ll… go back to the rooms. I think…Uh, bye.”

Then he turned and more or less ran, not entirely certain he wanted to travel with two angry female mages for another month, and honestly not entirely sure how anything to do with this could possibly get any worse.

Although, with his luck, it’d find a way, wouldn’t it?


	4. The Circle to Orzammar

_ Maker, not again. _

Duncan stared at his three charges as the boat rocked underneath them, Kester paddling dutifully to get them back to shore. Tish’s face was stone cold, and she hadn’t said a word; Kat still looked furious, and was staring back at the tower with pain written all across her face. Min mostly just looked uncomfortable now, and kept staring at something in the water before glancing back up at the sky. None of them said a word, and the tension in the air was palpable.

_ All I want is ONE decently talkative companion. _ He sighed inwardly.  _ There are five of us on this boat and not a word has been said since leaving the tower. _

Granted, they had rights to be upset – he  _ did _ have to admit that. Tish, well. Her best friend attacked her with blood magic after lying directly to her face. Kat had to leave her special someone behind – whether or not Irivng thought her relationship was superficial was inconsequential. Doubtless they were all leaving families and friends behind – it was part of the curse of becoming a Warden. But the world was bigger than the three of them; they had a war to win, a blight to stop. Personal afflictions ceased to be of import; they would soon have to realize this…

Or they would never survive.

He sighed.

A few minutes later, they docked on the shore. Kester jumped out and tied the boat up, and then offered his hand with a smile.

“Here you go, miss.” He said. Tish blinked, the cold expression breaking for a second. She looked at him and gave a small, polite smile, thanked him, and stepped onto shore. Then she went back to her quiet shock, seeming to be miles and miles away. Kat stormed off the boat without taking the man’s hand, stalking away from the group into the nearby tavern – the Spoiled Princess – without a word. Tish sighed and followed her.

“After you.” Duncan motioned to Min, who’d been sitting there staring after the two girls with an almost panicked flush on his face, but at Duncan’s voice he jumped and scrambled to his feet.

“Oh, uh. Sure.” He turned to Kester, thanked him, and then shifted awkwardly while waiting for Duncan to disembark. The Warden stretched, and then looked at the elf with a small smile.

“Shall we join our companions?” Duncan said, inclining his head towards the tavern. Min shrugged.

“Uh. Okay.” He flushed and followed the Warden quietly. The two of them entered only to see Kat already with a drink in her hand, talking to the bartender while Tish sat silently on the stool next to her.

“Hey, Min!” Kat called, waving the elf over. Min blinked.

“Um. Me?”

She rolled her eyes.

“Yes, you. Do you want a drink? I’m paying.” She raised her glass and giggled it slightly. He flushed, and then shook his head.

“Oh, um. No thanks. Just water…”

She shrugged.

“Suit yourself.” Then she tipped her head back and downed most of what was in her glass in one gulp. “Hope we don’t plan on leaving too early tomorrow. I’m getting wasted tonight. I haven’t had a beer in… what, eleven years?” She barked a humorless laugh. Min frowned.

“But, you’d only have been…” He started, and then stopped himself. It was probably rude to ask how old she was, and honestly her drinking habits were none of his concern, and-

“My dad always had some drinks on him.” Kat answered with an uncaring shrug. “My siblings and I would have some, sometimes. I think I had my first sip of alcohol when I was… what, seven?” She frowned, thinking. “Anyways.”

“I would not recommend this. We’ve got a long way to travel as I’m sure Minehn could tell you-“ Duncan started, but Kat cut him off with a glare.

“Look, Mr. Warden sir, I know Irving signed me up to be on your list, but I didn’t ask to be put there, or to be dragged here. I left my girlfriend alone in that tower because of you, so if you’d please let me get drunk tonight and forget how much I want to punch everyone besides Tish – and Min, don’t worry, hon, you’re fine – within in a five foot radius of me, I’d really appreciate it.”

Behind her, the bartender’s eyes widened, and he promptly took several steps backwards. Duncan stared for a minute, and then sighed.

“I understand you are upset, but there are bigger things at stake here than the individual problems you three face.” He said.

“What, so because the world has it’s problems, mine become less problematic?” She rolled her eyes. “See, now what you’re doing is leveling a not-naturally-flat playing field. Everyone feels pain differently, Mr. Warden sir.” She took another hearty sip of her drink. “Damn. This is good, by the way.” She nodded at the bartender.

“Th-thank you.”

“Anyways.” She turned back to Duncan. “Perhaps you’re all cold to the world and to you our shit seems unimportant and minuscule, but to us it’s a pretty big damn deal, and we’re going to have to deal with the big damn deal before we get to the  _ really _ big damn deal that is this maker forsaken blight we’re going to fight. One day, that’s all I need to be pissed and angry, and then I swear I’ll focus. But for now there’s really not much you’re going to be able to do to get me to do a crap’s worth of work.” She said firmly. “Can’t study while you’re hungry, can’t take a test while you have to pee, can’t save the world while you’re heart’s a mile away locked in a tower surrounded by a lake bigger than Denerim.” She finished with a shrug. “Some things you can’t help.”

He studied her for a moment, obviously debating whether or not to keep pushing, but then he just sighed in defeat.

“Yes, I guess that’s true.” He agreed, and then paused, thinking. “I suppose there are some things I could get done from here.” He nodded in satisfaction. “We’ll eat lunch here tomorrow, and then set off. It’s a long ride to Orzammar, and we don’t have oodles of time, you know.”

“Orzammar?” Kat frowned. “And how exactly do you expect us to get there? Mages can’t just fly, you know.”

“That will be taken care of, worry not.” Duncan said. Then he yawned, stretching. “Well, goodnight. Your rooms are already paid for. Don’t pester the patrons here too much.” And then, with a nod at the bartender, he crossed the room and disappeared into the back part of the inn, where the rooms where.

For a moment there was silence in the bar. Then Kat said, “You know, you can sit down if you want to.” Min jumped, flushing again as he realized she was talking to him.

“Oh, uh. Okay.” She watched with a small smile as he perched himself on the edge of the barstool. He was flushing and his purple eyes were wide. She chuckled slightly.

“You know, you’re like an owl.” She said. He blinked.

“What?”

“See?” She nudged Tish. The elf raised an eyebrow at her friend.

“Must you find animals for everyone you meet?” She asked, and if Min didn’t know better he’d have said she  _ sounded _ fine. There was not an ounce of anger or pain in her voice, just an amused tilt. Kat shrugged.

“Yep.” She looked back at him. “What do you say? Owl?” Tish looked at him with her piercing blue eyes, and he kind of wanted to side off the chair and disappear because  _ her eyes were seriously scarily blue _ and her gaze was just constantly intense and…

“Yes, I suppose.”

Then she looked away. Min blinked again.

“What?” he repeated, thoroughly confused. Kat chuckled again, leaning her elbows on the bar. At some point her glass had been refilled, and she took another long sip of the golden liquid. Then she said, “I identify people with animals. It’s sort of part of the type of magic I do.” She shrugged. “Healing magic. Earth magic… nature, stuff like that.”

“And…I’m an owl?” He asked, a small frown on his face. She laughed again.

“Yep.”

She took another sip, emptying her glass. He hesitated, and then said, “Um, are… you sure you should be drinking so fast?” After all, she was now on her third and they’d only walked in a little less than fifteen minutes ago. She grinned at him, but there was something sort of sad in it.

“Believe me, owl, I’m fine.” She said, and he flushed at the nickname. “I’ve been drinking since I was walking. Well, perhaps not that long, but I can hold my alcohol, trust me.”

“Oh, u-uhm… okay, if you say so.” He agreed awkwardly. There was a lull for a few minutes, quiet taking over the bar, and then Kat sighed.

“You both are the worst drinking partners ever.” She said firmly. Min flushed; Tish rolled her eyes. “Say something! Cry with me! Rant about the world and all it’s miseries, eh? We’re going to be saving the world together, after all.” She turned to Min. “What about you? Did you want to be a part of all of this, or were you dragged in too?”

“Oh, I…” He winced, and for a second his expression tightened. “I guess dragged. I didn’t have much of a choice… I don’t know if I’d gone, if…” He broke off. “N-never mind.” The last word was muffled as he ducked his head, forcing himself  _ not _ to think of Tamlen for the moment.

“I’m sorry.”

He looked up in surprise, for it wasn’t Kat who’d spoken, but Tish. He stared in confusion, and she gave him an understanding smile. It was honestly the warmest she’d looked since he met her, and the closest to. Not like she was some far entity that no one could reach, but just a normal girl, sitting in a bar with her friend. And he wasn’t sure how she knew, or even  _ what _ she knew, just that she knew  _ something _ and that somehow…

She sort of understood, in away. He desperately tried to keep his voice steady as a quick, “thanks.” Slipped out of his mouth, but the word cracked, and he winced. There was another pause, and Kat sighed yet again.

“Look at the three of us.” She said, finishing off another beer. “Not even thirty and we look like the weight of Thedas is resting on our shoulders. Heh… if only my sisters could see me now.”

“You… had sisters?” Min asked carefully. Kat shrugged.

“I have three.” She replied. “My mom disappeared right after the youngest was born – we used to live in Kirkwall, back then. All of us are mages, though.” She laughed slightly. “We were a handful. Dad didn’t know what to do – we moved to Fereldan. Lothering, specifically. Lived with my mom’s second cousin’s family for a while. Malcom was an apostate too, who’d escaped the circle. He was training his kids in magic, and, well, adopted the rest of us into his school when we arrived.” She sighed. “I wonder if Garebear and Mari and the rest are still in Lothering…”

“We might pass by there… on the way to Ostagar, I mean.” Min replied. “At least… I think that’s what Duncan said.” He frowned. “He listed a lot of places. I wasn’t really listening.”

“It’d be nice to see them again.” Kat said. “Maybe something good will come out of this mess after all.” She took another sip. “You’d like them, Tish.”

“So you say, every time you tell me about them.” The elf said, smiling fondly, but the sad light was still in her blue, blue eyes. Kat cackled, rocking back from the bar for a moment.

“So I do, so I do.” She agreed. “Bethy’s probably all grown up down. And Carver… wonder if he’s still got a stick up his butt. Aw, they were so cute… sweet kids. I miss them.” She sighed. “Damned fathers, though…” Her smile faded, and she glanced at Tish. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-“

“It’s alright.” The elf smiled gently. Min frowned, watching quietly from the side. Usually her smiles were polite but nothing more; when she looked at the human, however, it was almost… lovingly. In a very platonic sense, that is. He wondered how long they’d been in the circle together, but didn’t want to ask, so he kept silent. “Fathers can be quite the dilemma.”

“You would know.” Kat agreed, raising her glass to toast the air. By now there was a definite flush on her cheeks, and her words were starting to get a bit more senseless and slurred, but she still looked far from ‘wasted’ as Merrill used to call it. “Here’s to shitty parents and crappy situations!”

“Here, here.” The bartender replied glumly from across the bar.

“You too?” She asked. He shrugged.

“We all got our troubles is all I’m saying.” He replied. She tipped her glass at him.

“Well, then here, here, to that as well.”

She cleaned it off in one gulp.

“You really should slow down.” Tish said casually. Kat rolled her eyes and started to reply, but Tish just sighed. “Yes, yes, you can hold your alcohol, I know. You realize I won’t be able to carry you to your bed alone?”

“You’ve got Min here, he’s strong, right?” Kat grinned at the quiet elf, who flushed bright red.

“Wh…uh, I guess so, but-“

“I’m  _ joking _ with you, owl boy, don’t worry.” She laughed. “I’ll be juuuuust fine, soon as I get another refill.”

The bartender sighed.

“Thanks.” She said, and he waved his hand uncaringly in the air. “So, I’ve got a question.” She turned to Min. “What were you and Ptol up to? Leaving Irving’s office and then showing up so conveniently timed when you did, you must have been doing  _ something  _ of interest, right?”

“Oh, uh… we were on the roof.” Min replied, flushing in embarrassment. “I… like heights and he…he liked the stars.” He paused, but both girls were watching him like they wanted him to continue. “Uh… we were just talking, and then we saw the boat with…” He trailed off as Tish looked away, warmth leaving her features almost as quickly as it’d come. “Uh, sorry.” He was now bright red. “I didn’t mean-“

“It’s not your fault.” The elf sighed. “I am still… adjusting.”

“You couldn’t have known, Tish.” Kat said, placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder. Tish sighed.

“I know.” She replied. “I thought I knew him better, is all.”

“We all thought we knew him better.” Kat agreed. “He was just… sneaky.”

“Little snake?” Tish asked, and Kat sighed.

“Yeah.” She muttered. “Little snake.” There was a pause, and the glanced at Min. “That was his animal, if you were wondering.”

“Oh, I see.” He replied, wishing he hadn’t brought it up. They both looked supremely more sad than they had before… “I’m… sorry. For what happened.”

“Me too, Minehn.” Kat sighed. “Me too. Thanks, though.” Tish nodded in agreement.

Was it possible to blush so hard one radiated heat? Min was fairly certain he was. He frowned at Kat finished off yet  _ another _ glass of beer.

Tish did too.

“Kat, seriously.” She said. “It’s not healthy.”

“It sort of is.” Kat replied. Tish raised an eyebrow.

“Really, now.”

“Yeah.” She shrugged. “Beer is made from barley and hops. Barely and hops are plants…” she grinned. “Beer is a salad.” She and several others (all of whom were listening rather avidly to the group of strangers that’d barged so nosily in on their quiet tavern) broke out into laughter.

Tish, however, did not look amused.

“Mhmm.”

“Is she drunk yet?” Min asked curiously. Kat grinned at him.

“Owl, I havn’t even gotten  _ started _ .” She said.

“Yes.” Tish replied with a roll of her eyes. “Perhaps you are not the immune bottomless pit you once were, Kat.”

“Screw  _ that.” _ The mage laughed. “Ey, one more round!”

The bartender looked at Tish cautiously, and she raised an eyebrow at him.

“U-uh, miss… perhaps you’ve had enough for the night?” He offered. Kat frowned.

“What?” She looked accusingly at Tish. “What’d you do?”

“Nothing.” Tish shrugged. “Although I think perhaps you should listen to him.”

“I still might consider punching people.” Kat said causally, leaning against the table. “Just, you know. For fun.”

The bartender filled her glass.

Tish glared at him and Min might have imagined it, but he could have sworn he heard the man squeak as he backed away.

“Thank  _ you!” _ Kat cheered, grabbing the drink with both hands. “Look, Min, sorry you’re seeing this, but you gotta understand… I never  _ wanted _ to be free of that stupid circle. Well, I did, but not without everyone else.” She shrugged. “Those people there were my family, you know? Even the assholes. Few of the Templars weren’t too horrible either, if I’m really honest.”

“Now I  _ know _ you’re drunk.” Tish commented quietly.

“Hush, you.” Kat rolled her eyes. “I know you didn’t think they were horrible either. Not all of them, at least.”

“No, not all of them.” Tish agreed. “I didn’t say you were wrong, but it is rather unusual to hear  _ you _ of all people admit it.”

“So what? I’ve had six or seven pints, I’m tipsy, alright?”

“Mmm. Tipsy, yes.”

“Anyways, I grew up there for most of it.” She shrugged. “My dad, see, he got tired of four mage children. One day it was all ‘pack your stuff, we’re moving on!’ and we just left in the middle of the night!” She sighed. “Don’t really know what he told the Hawkes.”

“I’m…sorry?” Min offered, and Tish sighed.

“Yeah, well, he was a loser from the start.” Kat shrugged. “Bastard told us he’d found our mom, but all he did was bring us to the Chantry. The split us up, you know. My sisters and I. All four of us, different Circles. I haven’t seen them since I was fourteen.” She sighed. “Maker, that means Izola is… what… fuck, she’s  _ sixteen! _ ” She cursed, slamming her hand against the table, making nearly everyone jump. “Damn them… I wonder if she even remembers me. She was so little when we were split, you know. Four, five years old?”

“That’s sounds horrible.” Min said honestly. What harm had the five year old done? It’s not like she’d performed blood magic. He knew magic itself could be dangerous, but locking everyone up in prisons did not seem like the appropriate response… and anyways, giving up your own children to such a fate even after they’d been trained seemed so  _ horrible _ somehow. Kat sighed.

“It was, at the time. I had no one, for a while. Luckily, Malcom’s lessons paid off, so I did pretty well at the circle… Irving’s star pupil for a while, you know. A year later this one showed up and eventually pushed me out of my spot, though.” She nudged Tish’s shoulder. The mage just rolled her eyes. “Only cuz I’m a great teacher though.” Kat added.

“You  _ are _ a good teacher, when you can actually stand up, which I doubt you could do now.” Tish replied.

“Shuddap, I’m fine.” Kat protested. “Anyways, when she came I was in the bunk over from her and… mhmm.” She cut off suddenly. Min frowned, but sort of didn’t want to ask. “Yeah. So I met her. And  _ then _ a year later Ameli came.” She let out a sad sigh. “Maker, she’s gorgeous. But you know, she sort of hated me at first.”

“Really?” Min frowned. “Why?”

“Because I’m loud and she’s not.” Kat grinned. “She’s all studious and I prefer to move. Fire and rain, moon and sun, earth and sky, all that jazz.”

“Why did she  _ stop _ hating you?” Min asked, still frowning.

“I don’t know.” Kat shrugged. “We became friends. I realized I liked her, but I wasn’t going to say anything. Nothing worse than getting turned down by a straight person, you know?”

Min paled.

_ Yes. _

Kat paused, looking at him.

“Fuck, I said something stupid, didn’t I?” She looked at Tish. “What’d I say? I don’t actually remember. Something about bunk beds, I think?”

“Alright, that’s enough.” Tish sighed, grabbing the glass out of her hand. “You’re done. Let’s get you to bed.”

“I’m fine!” Kat protested. “Well, I’m not fine. Ameli’s all the way across the  _ seaaa _ , Tish! And Jowan tried to kill us, and you’re being all strong but I’m  _ not _ I gotta cry and yell and-“

“Yes, and you can do so outside where you won’t disturb the nice people here.” Tish sighed. “Or you can go to bed and we can talk about it all in the morning.”

Kat sniffed.

“I guess that’s fine.”

“Good.”

“You’ll heal my headache in the morning, right?” She asked, slipping off the bench. She stumbled, and Min, in an effort to help, reached out to catch her…

…but then suddenly the world was tipping sideways and then he was falling…

…and then he landed with an ‘oof’ and a loud thud on the ground of the Inn, the bar stool he’d been sitting on clattering to the ground next to him.

“Min!” Kat cried, wobbling to his side. She dropped to the ground rather hard, crawling towards him. “Are you alright? Do you need an ice pack? Wait, I can heal you!  _ Hey, I’m a maaaaaage!” _

“I-I’m fine, I think.” Min flushed, scooting backwards. His elbow hurt, actually, was throbbing, and his tailbone was no doubt bruised, but he 102% sure he didn’t want the drunk mage getting her magic fingers anywhere near him. “Thank you, though. Uh…”

“Kat, get up.” Tish rolled her eyes. “ _ Fenhedis _ , the two of you.” Then she held out a hand to Min. He flushed, and then hesitantly took it.

Her grip was stronger than he’d been expecting, but not painful. Her hands were so  _ small _ …

“Whoa!” He exclaimed as she hauled him to his feet. She chuckled as he stumbled forwards slightly. He was taller than her – she was short for an elf, but he was also generally sort of all, too, putting a good half a foot between them.

“Here, help me get here up? I know this is more than you probably signed up for.” Tish sighed. “Unfortunately, I am not tall.”

It was such a blunt statement that Min couldn’t help but laugh. At least a little. She blinked at him, and he sort of regretted it, but then that warm smile she’d given Kat before spread on her face again, and somehow it kind of made it okay again.

“It’s… uh, fine. I don’t mind.” He flushed, and together they managed to get a still semi-protesting Kat to the backrooms – the bartender led them to the rooms Duncan had paid for. Min stayed in the hallway while Tish wrestled her friend into the bed, and a moment later the red-headed elf reappeared, closing the door softly behind her.

“I suppose I’ll go pay. Come with me?” She asked. He flushed, but nodded, and together the two elves wandered back to the bar. Tish reached into her pocket and drew out a small purse, putting a few coins on the table with a nod of thanks. Then she sighed and sat down. Min hesitated, not  _ entirely _ sure what to do. She was… intimidating, honestly, and hadn’t really shown much interest in talking before, so maybe she wanted to be alone… but then, why would she have asked him to come? So, hesitantly, he sat down beside her. She gave him a gentle smile. “I’ll bet this isn’t what you were expecting.” She said. He huffed a small laugh, but it was sad.

“No kidding.” He replied softly. There was a pause.

“You lost someone?” She asked. He blinked, heart thudding once in surprise.

Tamlen’s face flashed in his mind, and his throat caught.

“Y-yeah.” He shifted. He didn’t want to talk about it yet, wasn’t… wasn’t  _ ready _ to face the fact that Tamlen was… that he might never see him again, that…

But Tish didn’t ask.

“I’m sorry.” was all she said. He breathed an inward sigh of relief, the pressure in his chest dissipating just as suddenly as it’d come. He would have thanked her, but he didn’t quite know if he could speak. “Duncan… his methods of recruiting seem questionable.” Min frowned.

“I guess… I mean, he saved my life, though.” He said.

Then he winced; no one had known he’d been sick with the Blight, and if she asked then he’d have to explain, and-

“Mine as well, in a way.” Tish replied without pause. “Although I suspect you mean it in a more literal sense.” She gave a gentle smile. “Being made Tranquil, though… it would not have been much of a life.”

“Do you really think they would have done it?” Min asked. She shrugged.

“I don’t know. Perhaps. Irving would have fought for us, at least. ” He frowned.

“If there was a decent chance it’d be fine, why did you leave?” She smiled at him sadly, sighing.

“I’ve never much wanted to be in the Circle.” She said. “I had no obligations holding me there… besides my friends.” Then she paused. “The way the circle does things is wrong, and if I can be of use out here, to help save people’s lives, then I believe it’s my responsibility and obligation to do so. Inside there, even once we are trained, we are still, for the most part, trapped. We never get to leave and live our lives.”

“That sounds… horrible.” Min said, and Tish shrugged.

“Ferelden is lucky. The circle here is not the worst of the world. Greagoir is a reasonable man, if a bit dramatic. The Templars are not cruel to us here, at least not most of them. There are far worse places to be trapped.”

“Still…” He frowned, and she chuckled slightly.

“Yes, it is rather unfair, I will not argue that. Their methods are unreasonable and, while their fear can be understandable, they let it push them too far. The circles were never meant to be prisons, but there are few who remember that anymore.” She shook her head. “No, if I can be out here, help to stop the blight… that’s a much better use of the gift that I have.” Min nodded in agreement. “I wish it had been my choice, though.” She said, and when he glanced at her, that far away look had returned, an invisible wall of glass putting her thousands of miles away despite the mere three feet between them.

“You still would have come?” He asked hesitantly. She blinked, the distant look fading slightly, and then nodded.

“I would.” She said. “Like I said. Responsibility to save those who cannot save themselves… Kat taught me that.” She glanced at the door towards the inn with that gentle smile she always seemed to get when Kat was involved. “Do you know what a Harrowing is?” Min frowned, shaking his head. “It’s a test they put the mages through, to see if they are fully trained or not.” She sighed. “I had mine only yesterday. I don’t suppose it matters if you know the process… it’s kept a secret from apprentices.” She frowned. “Another practice that is… well, frankly despicable.”

“What… uh, what is it?” Min asked, confused.

“They send you into the fade to be tempted by a demon.” She responded. “The only way to pass is if you manage to kill it. If you fall prey to it, they kill you. If you take too long to return… they kill you.” She shook her head. “If Kat hadn’t prepared me, I might not have survived it. Only about half of us do.”

“Can they  _ do _ that?” Min asked, shocked. He’d heard of the fade – Keeper Maratheri taught Merrill about it, and she in turn would bring it up when discussing her lessons. The fade was the realm of demons and magic, but it was dangerous – he knew that much, at least.

“Apparently so.” Tish shrugged. “For as far back as the records go, mages have been tested by a Harrowing… and you know how the Chantry loves it’s traditions.” She rolled her eyes, and then paused. “Are you religious, Min?”

He blinked, surprised at the question.

“I… guess so. I believe the Evanuris, well, watched over us, if… uh, if that’s what you mean.” She nodded in understanding.

“I see.” Her look wasn’t judging, merely curious. “You follow the ways of the Dalish, then. Your tattoo – it is of the god Falon’din, is it not?”

He nodded.

He’d picked it because it mirrored Tamlen’s.

_ Don’t THINK about that. _ He chided himself, gritting his teeth.  _ Besides, there were other reasons… _

“I’m sorry.” Tish apologized, noting the pinched expression. “I did not mean to pry.”

“It’s alright.” He shook his head. “Uh, what about you? Religious, I mean?”

“I am not.” Tish shook her head. “I find it hard to believe in any gods, with what I’ve seen. Perhaps there is one, perhaps there are many… perhaps there are none. I don’t know, and I don’t particularly care. Still, it is a nice thought…” She smiled at him, offering a little shrug. “If it makes a difference, I have always respected the ways of the Dalish far more than the ways of Andraste. Your gods have more than just ‘good’ and ‘evil’, don’t just offer a way of direct happiness, for there is no such thing. At the very least, it is more realistic.”

“I… guess I never thought much about that.” Min hesitated. He’d grown up with stories of the Dread Wolf, of the gods of their clan and history. He’d studied the Creators with Merrill and Fenarel and Tamlen along with all the other apprentices, had grown up with the belief. And he did like to think they were up there, watching over, and that they made a difference. He couldn’t quite picture what it’d be like, not having  _ something _ to believe in… Still, she didn’t seem upset by it.

He sort of wondered what she’d gone through to make her have such a strong doubt in a creator, though. Not that he was going to ask.

“Kat believes in the Maker.” Tish said. “She is… certainly something.” She paused. “Tonight was… not her best moment, but normally she is not like that, I assure you. She is usually quite level headed, and she truly will make an excellent Warden from what I know of them. She is the most caring person I know. You remember the Harrowing I told you about?”

He nodded.

“And do you remember her saying how she was trained before she got to the Tower?” She asked a second question, and again he nodded. Tish laughed. “Before I continue, I really must congratulate you for putting up with her tonight, much less paying attention to what she said.”

“Oh, uh.” He shrugged. “It was nothing…”

“Well, thank you all the same.” She replied. “As I was saying, when she got to the Circle she was already very well trained in both magic and combat – she is also the best fighter I know. She arrived when she was fourteen – she went through her Harrowing at seventeen. That’s the fastest anyone has ever gotten through their training.” She said. “If it puts it into perspective, I was seven when I arrived, and I am now twenty one, and only took my Harrowing yesterday.” Min’s eyes widened.

“Seventeen? They sent her into the fade with demons at seventeen?” That was  _ his _ age right now, and he couldn’t  _ imagine _ having to go through something like that and coming out the other side in any semblance of being okay.

Tish sighed, nodding.

“Yes. Lucky for them, she is very talented. She is one of the youngest ever to graduate from her apprenticeship.” She said. “The truly amazing part is what she did after, however. Knowing what the test was, she began training those younger than her – such as me, and Ameli, Ptol, and…” Tish paused, “and Jowan,” she finished, the name singing regretfully out of her mouth, “as well as others. She couldn’t tell us what it was specifically, nor even hint at it, but she made sure we could fight, and she made sure we knew our magic. I would never have passed my Harrowing as fast as I did if not for her.”

“That’s actually pretty amazing.” He said. “That she did all that, I mean.”

“Yes. You won’t know, looking at her tonight though, would you?” Tish chuckled slightly. “Not that she doesn’t have her reasons… Ameli and she, they are very close. If circumstances were different, I’ve no doubt they would marry and raise a family. As it is, though…” she shrugged. “Having to leave Ameli behind, as well as everyone she was training – that is why she was so upset. For who knows how long, now, they will be by themselves, only able to practice what she already taught them. More than one of her students will go through their own Harrowing while we are away, and she won’t know if they even survived until she gets back. She is strong, but she does have her limits.” Tish said.

“Everyone does.” Min agreed quietly. Tish nodded with a gentle smile. “You two are pretty close…” He commented, and she laughed.

“Yes, well, when I first arrived at the circle…” She started, but then trailed off.

The glass wall came back just like that, covering her eyes like a fog.

“…when I first arrived, I didn’t have much, trust least of all.” Her voice was quiet, and she was staring at the wall, a sad sort of thoughtfulness on her face. Then she smiled slightly, laughing as she said, “If she hadn’t badgered me until I would talk to her... well, I would be in a very different situation, let’s put it that way.”

“I see.” He replied. “It’s good, then. That you guys were friends, I mean.” He paused. “Merrill – she’s my friend, back in the village, she… she’s a mage, actually. Uh. She’s kind of like that, for me, I guess. I… never really knew my parents? So I was raised by Asha… uh, she was a friend of my father, before he was killed. But yeah… Merrill is good. A friend. A good friend, I mean.” He finished, flushing bright red.

“You must miss her, then.” Tish said. He nodded. He did miss Merrill, and her odd little jokes, and her sparkling blue fingers, and her incessant curiosity. He wondered how she was doing…

“I do.” He replied. “I miss all of them. Keeper Maratheri, and Merrill, and Fenarel, and…”

_ I miss Tamlen. _ He finished silently. She nodded; somehow he knew she understood without him saying it. She was certainly unlike anyone he’d ever met before, at least that much was certain. There was a long pause, and then she sighed.

“I suppose we’d best get to sleep soon.” She said. “From what it sounds like, we’ve quite the journey ahead of us.”

“No kidding.” Min agreed, thinking of all the various places Duncan had listed.  _ What he say was next…oh. _ He groaned, and Tish frowned.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, well, yes, but… no, I mean, it’s just… uhm.” He shook his head to clear it. “It’s just, we’re heading to Orzammar next, is all.” He sighed. “I… like heights. And trees… not tunnels.”

“I see.” She said. “In that case, I hope our journey there is swift, for your sake.” She smiled, and stood. He joined her, and they walked back to the rooms after a quick ‘goodnight’ to the bartender, who waved at them as they passed.

The two rooms were across from each other, two beds in each – loud snoring could be heard from Duncan’s room, and Min grimaced, looking at it. Tish laughed quietly, and then said, “You know, Min, there is a couch in our room, if you would prefer that.”

He blinked, and then hesitated, because honestly that sounded like a much better option but like…

“Is… is that okay?” he asked nervously. She laughed again, opening the door.

“Would I offer if it wasn’t?” She replied, and okay, she sort of had a point, but… “Don’t worry, Min. Kat won’t mind either. I’d rather you be comfortable, and I know she would too.” So, with a sigh of defeat (and relief) he followed her into the dimly lit room – Kat was sprawled like a starfish on one bed, the lamp next to it turned off and her shoes placed on the floor at the foot. Tish sighed, shaking her head at her, and then motioned Min over to the brown couch in the back of the room. He walked to it nervously and sat down, only to find it was surprisingly squishy.

He was so used to sleeping on the ground, being in actual  _ rooms _ was just… odd.

Tish walked over and handed him a blanket and one of the pillows from her bed.

“I don’t use two anyway.” She promised.

“Uhm… thanks. For… you know.” He said before she could walk away.

She smiled at him yet again, and he thought it might have almost been as warm as the ones she gave Kat, that time.

“You’re welcome, Min. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight… Tish.” He tried the name, that having been the first time he said it. He knew he was bright red – luckily the room was dim with darkness, so perhaps it wasn’t as obvious (although if Tish didn’t know he was a tomato child by this point than she was far less perceptive than she appeared). She climbed into her bed, and, with one last smile at him, turned the lamp off and lay down.

For the first time since leaving, he thought that perhaps this journey wouldn’t be completely horrible. And, with that thought, he pulled the blanket up over his shoulders and closed his eyes.

It wasn’t long before he was asleep, but that night it was far from peaceful – just like every night since he’d left the clan, nightmares plagued his mind; dragons roaring, arrows flying through the trees, fire lighting the sky…

He blamed it on missing Tamlen.

He was certain that’s all it was…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“My butt hurts.”

Tish sighed.

“You are sorely out of practice, then.”

“I haven’t ridden a horse since I was fourteen, give me a break.” Kat rolled her eyes, and felt Tish laugh softly against her back.

Tish, as it turned out, did not know how to ride a horse. As such, she was stuck behind Kat, her arms wrapped loosely around the older mage’s waist. Duncan had gone out that morning and purchased her, a large grey speckled stallion with dark brown eyes. How he managed to pay for her he didn’t say, although the elf suspected a certain level of ‘we are the grey Wardens and we require your horse to save Fereldan’ was involved. 

Min and his halla rode beside them, while Duncan remained in the lead. They’d been riding all afternoon – Kat had woken around lunch time, and, after Tish assisted with the removal of her rather intense headache, had almost transformed into a completely different person. She was the one to insist they get moving, packing their things into the saddlebags, making sure they had supplies from the traders and enough water for both them and their animals. Tish, of course, was not surprised, but she was rather amused to see Min’s wide-eyed stare as Kat whizzed around. She liked the Dalish elf; generally she was a very good judge of character, and there was just something about Min that told her she could trust him.

Of course, she could also tell he was upset by something, but she knew pushing too hard wouldn’t get her anywhere. She just hoped that, after talking the night before, he would at least feel a little more relaxed around them.

It was to be a three day ride to Orzammar; the circle was far behind them. It was so… odd, to look out and see the world again as she had before joining the circle. Odd, and…

Refreshing. New. She took a deep breath of the fresh air, and then looked out as far as she could see – the green extended for miles and miles ahead, the edge where it began to give way to the brown sands just barely visible on the horizon. Despite the long journey, however, she was rather relaxed.

She was free of the circle. She was going to do some good for the world. Granted, the way she’d left was not what she had wanted, and… Jowan’s betrayal  _ was _ still fresh in her mind. She was going to miss Ptol, and Ameli, and the rest of her friends, but…

This, riding with the Wardens to stop the blight, using her magic for something other than sport?

This is what she was meant to do. She looked up at the wide-open sky, and she smiled.


	5. Brosca

Kat didn’t remember much of the entrance to Orzammar other than that it was dark and sandy. They had to leave their mounts behind, on the surface – horses weren’t allowed or needed underground. Min was ashy, and when the heavy doors closed behind them, she was almost certain he was going to be sick.

“Are you alright? Want some crackers?” She’d offered, giving his shoulder a sympathetic pat, but he just shook his head. After that they were ushered even farther into the underground city, people that barely passed her waist swarming them with greetings and respectful nods of their heads. Two guards escorted them through the hall of the Paragons, and straight across the bridge that cut through the middle of the circular city, to a large arena-like area they called the ‘proving grounds’, whatever  _ that _ was supposed to mean. Not that she didn’t have respect for the dwarves; their buildings were remarkable, and, honestly, a  _ lot _ bigger than she’d been expecting. It was hard to remember they were underground (until one looked up, that is). Still, she’d always sort of resented the idea of their class systems… or  _ any _ class systems, really, that had a group with no rights forced into slavery or captivity on the bottom. Even in the human societies, elves were treated as such, and, of course, mages. Still, even in human societies it was rare to find a place as strict with their class systems as Orzammar, and something about it just made her skin itch.

From what she could tell, the proving was basically just a tournament to show off who the best fighter was, a way to boost their reputation or beat down their enemies in some legal form or another. She imagined it was going to be rather boring – but, unfortunately, the king of Orzammar had insisted they attend.

Apparently it was some sort of huge honor, or something. Obviously they couldn’t say no. So, there they were, standing in the main hall of the proving arena, waiting for the seating to open so they could go and sit by the royal family. Duncan was milling about, talking to those who were familiar to him.

Meanwhile, the three recruited Wardens sat off on the side, not quite sure what they were supposed to be doing besides, well, waiting.

“Ugh, this is so  _ boring.” _ Kat muttered. Tish frowned disapprovingly.

“Don’t be rude.” She chided, and then turned the Min. “Are you feeling a little better?” he shrugged.

“It’s… it’s bigger than I was expecting, so it’s not as bad, but… I really miss the sky.” He shuddered. “I don’t know how they could stand to live here all the time…”

“I know what you mean.” Kat agreed. “It’s so stuffy, too.” She wrinkled her nose. “Do you think the only time this place gets fresh air is when the front door is opened?”

“Kat!” Tish sighed, rolling her eyes. The mage laughed, shrugging innocently.

“What, it’s an honest question!”

“Are you three staying out of trouble?” Duncan suddenly appeared beside them, and Kat jumped. She sighed, resisting the urge to glare at the older man.

Something about him… it was just  _ unsettling _ . She wasn’t fond of him, and doubted she ever would be. Still, she nodded her head, sighing dramatically.

“Out of trouble, yes. Out of boredom? Not as much.”

“It will begin soon.” He promised.

“Duncan.” Tish said quietly, and then nodded her head. He turned, and Kat looked over to see two dwarves huddled together, one whispering to the other. The first, a male with black hair pulled into a ponytail, was gesturing at them vaguely, while the second, a girl with short brown hair and aggressively teal lipstick on rolled her eyes.

Then she started to walk over.

“Hey, wait…! Nat!” The boy said, reaching out to grab her arm, but he was laughing, disbelief on his face. “I was  _ kidding!” _

She ignored him, walking right up to Duncan. He smiled at her.

“Stone met, and blessings on your house.” He greeted, and Kat frowned, because what the hell kind of saying was that? “That was the proper greeting for an outsider last time I visited Orzammar… Has it changed?” He blinked. The girl was looking at him with one eyebrow raised skeptically, one arm crossed while the other rested against her face. “Or is there another reason you are looking at me so strangely?”

“Well, in my part of Orzammar, we usually just go with ‘Hello’.” She replied. Her voice was amused, if not a bit sarcastic. Duncan chuckled.

“We do the same, in my part of Ferelden. Hello, then.” He replied. She smirked, eyebrow quirking. “My name is Duncan.” He paused, and then shrugged sheepishly. “I would say ‘of the Grey Wardens’ but I suspect you already know that.” She nodded. “Pleased to meet you.” She studied him for a moment without replying, and then asked, “is it true you’re here looking for recruits?” He blinked.

“Yes, I am, in fact.” He replied, and turned to look at the group clustered on the bench. “Those three over there are recruits from all across Fereldan already. I was hoping to add some dwarven expertise to our ranks.” He looked at her again, smiling. “The Wardens are always looking for those who have the courage to spend their lives in battle against the darkspawn.” Something in the girl’s green eyes gleamed at his words, and she smiled. Kat frowned thoughtfully. “It’s rare that we find those with both the skill and the will. The best wardens are ruthless to their enemies, compassionate to their friends, and inspiring to their troops.” He sighed. “It’s a lot to look for, but I hope to find it here.”

The girl opened her mouth, but her friend nudged her arm. She glanced at him, a shadow of irritation passing over her face, and then annoyed resignation.

“Well, good luck with that.” She said. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got something I need to attend to.”

“Thank you. I hope you find what you are looking for.” Duncan replied. She flashed him a smile, and then her and the boy ran off – he muttered something along the lines of, “I can’t believe you  _ actually talked to the Grey Warden! _ ” as he went.

Kat sighed. Now that they were gone, she was once again reminded of  _ exactly _ how bored she was.

_ This ‘Proving’ better start soon... otherwise I’ll just go start it myself.  _ She grinned at the idea of running into the Proving area, staff blazing, knocking all the best warriors on their asses…

“If you’ll come right this way, the King will see you now.”

She looked up at the unfamiliar voice, only to see yet another dwarf clothed in heavy armor standing before them.

“Finally.” She muttered, and Tish rolled her eyes, chuckling slightly. They all stood and followed the dwarf down the hallway to the stadium, and then to the raised platform where a large dwarf with a rather impressive beard sat in a gilded chair, a crown big enough to be a serving dish for an entire family on his head.

_ That has to weigh at least ten pounds. _ Kat thought, staring at it distastefully. It was far too gaudy, too… ‘look at me, I’m the king!’ for her liking.

“Duncan! How are you doing, my old friend?” The royal dwarf said, catching sight of them. Duncan and the three Wardens-to-be bowed respectfully, and the King nodded.

“I have seen better days.” Duncan replied. “You seem to be doing well, though.”

“Quite so, quite so.” The King agreed. “Orzammar is thriving, as ever. I do hope you’ll enjoy today’s festivities… ah! Sereda, come in, come in!”

They turned to see a rather short (even for a dwarf) blonde-haired girl come in, dressed in heavy armor as well, with a crown upon her head.

“Hello, father.” She said warmly, green eyes sparkling. She was younger, nineteen or so, and held herself with an air of maturity that somehow managed to still seem humble, unlike her father. She gave them all a genuine smile and met everyone’s gaze individually. “And you must be the Wardens.”

“Greetings, Lady Aeducan.” Duncan said, and again they all bowed respectfully. “It is an honor to meet you at last.” She laughed, shaking her head.

“That’s not necessary. The honor is mine, Warden.” She replied.

“If you’ll excuse me, I must attend to a few last minute preparations.” The King said. “Sereda, I trust you’ll represent Orzammar well in my stead.” There was a slightly warning tilt to his voice, and Kat frowned suspiciously. She traded a glance with Tish, and then looked to Min – he was still pale, and didn’t seem to be paying attention to much other than looking down at the huge hall below them.

“Of course, father.” The girl replied with an innocent smile. He raised an eyebrow at her as he passed. Then she turned back to the Wardens. “You’ll have to excuse him - He is all about image, you know.”

“Yes, if I remember correctly.” Duncan laughed. “He speaks highly of you, though.”

“Does he?” She replied, trading a glance with the man behind her – a warrior, serving as a bodyguard to his princess, Kat assumed. He rolled his eyes at her teasingly, and she laughed. “Mind if I ask what he says?”

“He says you might be the most skilled warrior of House Aeducan.” Duncan replied. “I imagine that honor does not come easily.” She smiled.

“Yes, well, with two brothers I had to get tough rather fast, and there’s no one better to train with than Gorim.” She motioned to her companion. He sighed at her, raising an eyebrow for a moment.

“She is modest.” He said, and she laughed.

“We will see what happens, after tomorrow.” She said. “Although I won’t deny enjoying a good fight.” 

“Your response speaks of maturity beyond your years.” He said with a smile. “We need more Wardens like you, and quickly.”

_ Seriously? _ Kat raised an eyebrow.  _ First of all, he literally just met her. Second of all, she just got some fancy promotion, right? No way she’d leave all this behind! _

Sereda frowned.

“Why?” She asked. “Is something happening on the surface? The darkspawn have been growing more mild here… I suppose I thought it was suspicious, but surely it doesn’t constitute the need for recruitment?”

“Even as the darkspawn weaken here in Orzammar, they strengthen on the surface.” Duncan replied. “A Blight has begun.”

The girl’s frown deepened.

“Does my father know this yet?” she asked. Duncan nodded.

“I wrote him, a while ago. He is aware of the threat we face.” He sighed. “Now the fight must go beyond the Deep Roads, lest the darkspawn threaten all the world.”

“I do not know as much as I should about Grey Wardens.” Sereda said. “I would like to learn more. My mother used to tell me stories of your valiant fights against the Darkspawn when I was younger.” A fond smile came over her face. “It’s a shame she was not able to see you’re arrival here.” Duncan smiled gently, nodding.

“You know of our dedication to destroying the darkspawn, and our fierce perseverance during a Blight. What else would you know?” He shrugged. “Being a Grey Warden means abandoning your life. It means dedicating yourself to destroying the darkspawn. It is not a life many choose.”

_ No kidding. _ Kat thought sourly.  _ Not that the cause isn’t noble, or important… It is. And I’m grateful for the chance to go out and do even more good… _

But she missed Ameli already, and those children that would fight and die in their Harrowings… she wanted to be there for them, too. Deciding which was more important was something she just couldn’t do, not yet.

Sereda sighed.

“I am an Aeducan, Duncan… my family needs me here. But, if things were different, perhaps I would consider joining you. I’ve no doubt my father has selected warriors that he knows will be good for joining your ranks, at least.”

“It is good you have such a bright future.” Duncan smiled. “Not all are that lucky. I wish you luck in the Deep Roads tomorrow… show the darkspawn the might of your people for me, yes?”

She smiled, nodding.

“That I will, Sir Warden. Or at least, that is the goal.” She looked out to the fields. “No doubt the Provings will begin soon… I need to get ready.” Duncan frowned.

“Ready? Will you be competing, my Lady?”

“Yes.” She smiled. “As a practice test for tomorrow, hmm?” She giggled, and then turned to her companion. “Gorim, go find the Proving Capitan and tell him I will be participating, can you?”

“Yes, my Lady.” He bowed and then walked away. She sighed, and then turned to the three recruits, her green eyes focusing on each of them in turn.

“I wish you all the luck in the world against the Darkspawn.” She said. “Perhaps we can talk, after the battles are over. You seem to be a rather diverse group… I imagine you have some rather fantastic stories to tell, hmm?” Her eyes sparkled, and Kat had to laugh.

“Do you like stories?” She asked. Sereda grinned.

“Perhaps I do. Know any good ones?”

“I might have a few up my sleeve.” Kat replied, and Tish rolled her eyes, smiling fondly.

“It would be an honor to speak with you, should you find the time.” The elf said. “Good luck in your battles.”

“Thank you.” Sereda smiled. “I’ll see you all later, then.” And, with a little wave and a final giggle, she walked away after her guard, a bounce in her step.

“That was something I never expected to experience… ever.” Kat said, and Tish nodded in agreement. “Never thought I’d get to leave the tower, much less meet dwarven royalty in Orzammar.”

“I must admit, it is… quite extraordinary.” The elf laughed.

“Come this way.” Duncan motioned to them. “The Provings are about to begin.”

“She’s amazing.”

Kat couldn’t believe it. She’d heard of the dwarven strength, sure, but she hadn’t realized just  _ how strong _ they really were. Swinging axes and swords through the air like they were as light as paper, taking the blows like getting hit with a pillow… she’d never realized how sturdy the people of the race were. She at least had to give them that. Still, the idea of a contest like this wasn’t appealing to her, and watching them beat each other up just to prove who was better seemed rather arrogant and pointless.

Sereda was amazing, though. A lot of them were. Kat was a fighter; she could at least recognize that much. There was another man, Sir Everd… he’d won all his fights so far, as had the dwarven princess. If they kept going like they had been, they would be facing each other for the final round, and Kat wasn’t sure who would win.

“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but are you enjoying this?” Tish asked. Kat blinked, looking at her, and then shrugged.

“I can appreciate good fighting, at least. The idea behind it is… not my cup of tea, exactly, but the skill being shown… yes, I can enjoy that.”

“I see.” Tish smiled, but she looked tired. Kat knew the elf hadn’t been paying attention to most of it – neither of the elves were, honestly. Min had curled up in his chair and Kat was half way certain he was just asleep, although how he could sleep in the midst of all the shouting and clanging, she did not know.

“Finally, our last battle!” The announcer said, voice booming out over the crowd. “Your very own Princess Sereda, verses the honorable Sir Everd!”

_ This is it. _ Kat thought, watching the two Dwarves enter. They nodded to each other, exchanged a few words. Then Sereda drew her sword, and her opponent slipped free two daggers. She scooted forwards in her chair, frowning with intrigue. Tish laughed and Kat hushed her jokingly, grinning.

Then the fight began. It was loud, and powerful, and dragged out far longer than the others had – the two dwarves swung at each other with full force, grunting and slamming their weapons together in the air, ducking and cutting and whirring about with a grace far beyond what Kat had even thought possible.

Then Sereda lost her sword.

The entire room gasped as the blade went flying, and her opponent swept it up with his foot, pushing it behind him. The princess grunted angrily and reached for her shield instead.

The fight was not yet over. She charged him; unable to find time to duck out of the way, the warrior braced himself. The shield hit him hard, and he stepped backwards – as he did so, he slipped on Sereda’s sword and his feet went out from under him. A rather high pitched shout sprung from his lungs, and Kat frowned. The entire room did, in fact.

Then the warrior’s helmet slipped free and went flying.

Everyone gasped.

The he inside the armor wasn’t a he at all; in fact, it was the casteless girl who’d run by them before and asked Duncan about recruitment.

“WHAT IS THIS OUTRAGE!” The King screamed, breaking the silence. “GUARDS!”

“Casteless!” The announcer shouted in outrage. “You insult the very nature of the proving!” Screams erupted from every throat in the room; Min’s eyes shot open and he promptly fell out of his chair, in shock. Kat looked around, frowning angrily – what right did they have to shun her? She’d beaten all their best warriors, she should be their  _ champion! _

“This isn’t right.” She said coldly.

“Kat.” Tish said, voice soft, and Kat looked at her angrily, only to see she was watching Duncan. He had stood, and was staring at the girl, one hand stroking his beard, the other folded across his chest. Tish smiled slightly. “She would make an excellent Warden. She showed interest before. He’s thinking of something. Trust me.”

“What’s going on?” Min asked, looking around. “Why’s everyone shouting?”

“Look.” Kat nodded towards the stadium floor, and all three of them turned back to what was happening.

And then Kat’s eyes widened.

Sereda had her helmet off as well, sweat causing her blond hair to stick to her face. Slowly, people started to notice, falling silent one by one. Kat couldn’t’ see her face, not from that distance – couldn’t tell if she was angry or not. The helmet hit the floor, and the thud was loud in the sudden silence.

Then Sereda walked forwards. The casteless girl stared at her defiantly, but she didn’t look like she was going to fight back. She merely stood with her arms at her side, head held high.

Down on the field, Sereda sighed. The girl before her was furious; glaring at her so hard that, if dwarves had magic, she would fear she would be set aflame. But she didn’t glare back; instead she offered a small, regretful smile.

“I cannot stop my father’s men.” She said.

“Why would you?” the girl spat.

“It was a good fight. I would have lost.”

The casteless girl blinked at her, eyebrows twitching in confusion for a second, obviously not expecting that answer. She didn’t respond, however, and Sereda sighed.

“What’s your name?” She asked.

No answer.

“Alright. Well, for what it’s worth…” Sereda said, even as the guards closed in around her, “You won our fight, and that makes you the Champion in my book.”

“Whatever you say, your  _ highness. _ ” The girl muttered.

Then the guards grabbed her arms. She didn’t resist as they led her away. Sereda watched her go, sighing sadly and regretting once more how deeply rooted in tradition her race could be.  _ I will talk to my father. _ She thought.  _ Get her freed. She doesn’t deserve this. _

“Sara! Are you alright?” Gorim ran up, but he looked more amused than anything. She rolled her eyes.

“I just went through a Proving, Gorim, how do you think I am?” He sighed, and she raised an eyebrow. “Did my father make you ask? Worried I was tainted by the scum of the earth, was it?” she said disdainfully. “He and I will have words. That girl fought just as bravely as any of the warriors here. It’s not fair that-“

“Yes, yes, you can debate our people’s morals again later.” Gorim said. “For now, we need to get you out of here. Your father is furious with you for even speaking to her, and Trian wants to see you as well. Come on, don’t get me in trouble.”

“Fine.” She sighed. “But I  _ will _ get her out.”

“Of course you will.” He rolled his eyes. “Of that, I have no doubt.”

“Stay your men, please!”

Kat’s attention was stolen by the sound of Duncan’s voice. She’d watched from above as the girl was escorted away, and as Sereda’s escort friend came and practically dragged her off the field as well. The audience was still shouting in outrage.

Many were demanding an execution.

Kat would  _ fight _ them if they tried to execute that girl, Dwarf or not. She didn’t care much if it was their policy; their policy was wrong, in the same way that the Harrowings were wrong, in the same way that Alienages were wrong. The fact that the casteless were stuck out on the bottom in the slums of society without even a choice was irrefutably unacceptable, and if they killed the girl who  _ should _ have been their champion simply because she was not of a high class standing, then she would lose whatever small amount of respect she still had for the race.

Perhaps, though, there wouldn’t be an execution after all, with the way Duncan was speaking to the man, pleading.

“This warrior has defeated the best you have to offer. Is that not what this proving is for?” The Warden asked. The announcer sneered at him angrily.

“We are honored by your presence, Warden, but this proving is not solely for you. There are laws which have governed this arena for a thousand years.”

“Laws that are a thousand years old are bound to be outdated.” Kat replied under her breath. Tish frowned and shook her head warningly, and Min’s slightly nervous, wide, purple-eyed stare is the only thing that kept her from getting up and teaching these dwarves a lesson or two.

“That  _ woman _ was no warrior! She is casteless, rejected by the ancestors.” The man continued, and Kat’s fist balled at her side. “Her very footsteps pollute the stone. She has no place here.”

“That’s such complete and utter  _ bullshit! _ ” Kat hissed.

“Kat, please.” Tish sighed. “I am with you. But this is not the place to fight that battle.”

Kat’s mouth snapped shut, but her fingers still dug into her palm.

Duncan was quiet for a moment, and then he frowned.

“Except as your champion.” He replied with a little shrug.

Then he turned and walked away.

Kat’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected the Warden to stand up for the girl. A moment later he joined them, a regretful smile on his face.

“I think it’s best if we return to our rooms, yes? Come along.” He looked at Kat. “We’ll talk when we are in a…  _ quieter _ setting, hmm?”

She frowned, but then nodded. Then she, Kat, Min, and Tish followed Duncan into the hall and back to the palace – the guards let him in – and then to the guest rooms, which he said were reserved for the four of them.

Once inside, Kat was about ready to explode.

“I can’t believe that just happened!” she said angrily. “Fighting to prove the worth of your family, to show off to your friends, alright fine. But  _ she beat them all! _ She beat them, one of the best fighters I’ve ever seen, and they want to  _ execute _ her simply because of a tattoo on her face?”

“She is casteless.” Duncan sighed. “To the nobles, there’s not much difference between her class and dirt. They despise those from the lower city. They have no rights, no freedoms… and they are  _ not _ allowed to participate in Provings.”

“Yeah, well, that’s bullshit.” Kat replied shortly. “Come on, someone back me up.”

“I… uh, it does seem a bit unfair. And unreasonable.” Min agreed, frowning. Tish sighed.

“I agree.” She said. “But Duncan never argued.”

The warden smiled at her.

“You are correct. I do not agree with most of the policies of Orzammar any more than you do. But we have-“

“-bigger problems, there are darkspawn and a blight, blah, blah, blah, we  _ know.” _ Kat cut him off. Duncan nodded.

“There is that, but there is also the matter that we cannot change an entire race’s mindset, their history, or their culture. Not with simply the four of us, and definitely not as outsiders. If there is going to be a change in this, it will need to come from within Orzammar.” He said. Kat wanted to argue, she did, but…

She also knew when she was beaten. He was right, there was no way they could fix what was wrong with the situation. But…

“That doesn’t mean we have to let  _ her _ die.” She said. “You have influence. Use it! Say she could be helpful to us, or… something!” Duncan frowned at her.

“Being a Warden is not for everyone. And we cannot just pull our superiority whenever it suits us.” He said. Kat rolled her eyes.

_ ”Please. _ You do it all the time. You did it with both of us,” she gestured to herself and Tish, “and I’m willing to bet something similar happened with Minehn, here.”

The dalish elf flushed, eyes darting between the two of them in a ‘don’t bring me into this’ sort of look. But then he shrugged, nodding slightly.

“Sort of… I guess.”

Duncan studied the three of them.

“I am not sure whether your insistence on this is folly or dedication.” He sighed. “Fortunately for you, I already plan to do just what you say. It takes bravery to do a thing as that, and it is undeniable that she was skilled.”

“Not to mention she showed interest before, when we met her in the hallway.” Kat said. Min blinked.

“Wait, that was  _ her?” _ He asked. “The girl with her friend that asked about recruitment?”

“Yeah.” Kat nodded. “I’m sure of it.”

Duncan sighed.

“I can promise nothing.” He said. “But I will ask.” Then he raised an eyebrow at Kat. “Until then, however, I ask that you remain here and don’t cause any trouble. We are guests at Orzammar, and it would not do to anger our hosts. The agreement with Orzammar is tense at best, and we are going to need their help.”

Kat huffed, and crossed her arms, but nodded.

“Fine. Only if you promise to save her.”

“I will try.”

“Not good enough.” She shook her head. “ _ Save her _ .”

He mostly just looked resigned, at this point.

“I will return shortly.” He said instead of replying. She narrowed her eyes at him, but he just rolled his and then left, closing the door solidly behind him.

“What do you mean, she’s  _ gone?” _ Kat demanded.

It’d been several hours since Duncan had left, only to return dwarf-less and with even more bad news than before. He sighed.

“Her guards were attacked. They never made it to the prisons… There’s evidence of Carta involvement.”

“What would the Carta want with her?” Kat frowned.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures, Kat.” Tish replied. “It’s likely the girl worked for them to keep herself provided for.” 

Duncan nodded his agreement.“So I have heard.” He said.

“Are they searching for her?” Kat demanded. Duncan shrugged.

“They are… but their first assumption is that she was freed. I’m fairly certain if they find her, they will kill her on sight.”

“They can’t do that!” Kat said angrily. Tish frowned.

“I don’t know, Kat… Her being involved with the Carta changes things. You don’t know what kind of person she is, only that she can fight well.”

“I do too.” Kat retorted. “Precisely  _ because _ she can fight well. Did you even watch her matches? She never hurt her opponent more than was necessary to win. She was quick to cause the least amount of embarrassment; she didn’t toy with them or drag it out for the crowd. You said she was driven to work with them out of desperation; that doesn’t mean she enjoyed it, and that doesn’t mean she’s a bad person.”

“If I may ask, why do you feel so strongly about this?” Duncan asked curiously. Kat hesitated.

To be honest, she wasn’t quite sure. There was just something about the dwarf that called to her – and besides, she could sympathize with her. And it  _ wasn’t _ fair that she was cast out from the moment she was born. It wasn’t right that there was nothing she could do to gain status in her society.

And it wasn’t right that, even though she’d won, even though she’d  _ proven _ herself worthy, they were still going to kill her because of it.

Eventually she sighed.

“Because it’s not right, how they treat her.” She said. “And I can sympathize with that.” There was a pause, and then Tish stood.

“I’m going with Kat on this.” She said. There was something in her voice, something different. “If they will find and kill her, then we should find her first.”

Duncan stared between them, and then sighed.

“I am beginning to wonder just what I was thinking, going out to collect all you teenagers, believing I’d be able to handle you.” He chuckled. 

“Teenagers?” Kat demanded, raising an eyebrow. “You do realize Tish is twenty one, and I’m twenty four, right?” Duncan, for once, seemed to actually be speechless, looking between the two mages. Kat couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or truly surprised to hear their ages; in the end, he didn’t even bother to amend his statement, just shaking his head and turning to the door as he prepared to leave.

“Be careful, and I implore you, don’t upset our hosts. If you find her, bring her to me or send someone to get me. You hold no ranking in their books. If you run into the Carta…” He paused, and then sighed. “Then be careful, but know that the darkspawn will be far worse enemies. If you struggle against them, then there is a decent amount of training that must be done.”

“So this is a test.” Kat said flatly. Duncan shrugged.

“In a way.”

The girl glared at him for a moment. Then she turned to Min.

“What about you, owl? You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.” She said. 

He hesitated, and then said, “I… I’ll go. It’s not right of them to kill her, and this… room is. Not very large.” She smiled at him.

“Alright, then. Let’s go.”

They did not, however, get very far, for as soon as they’d left the palace, they were slowed down by a red-haired dwarf with pale skin and pretty grey eyes. Min noticed her first, following them from a distance, and frowned.

“There’s someone behind us.” He said. “She’s… sort of trying to track us. I think. I don’t suppose they get to practice that often down here, though.” He said, obviously trying to find a nice way of saying ‘she sucks’. Kat frowned.

“You mean she’s following us?” she asked, and he hesitated, and then nodded.

“I think so?”

Tish turned.

“Why are you following us?” She asked.

“Wow. Subtle.” Kat muttered.

The girl blinked in surprise, and then came out from behind the corner of the building she’d been crouching beside. She looked scared, and distressed.

“I… I heard you saying you were going to find Natie.” She said. “They said something happened to her, and she never made it to the jail, so I got worried… you’re not going to kill her, are you?”

“No.” Tish shook her head. “My name is Atisha’len. Who are you?”

“Me? Oh, I’m… I’m Rica. Natie is my sister, she… oh, by the stone, she’s a handful, but she’s a good girl. Whatever happened with the provings, it wasn’t her fault. They can’t kill her, she’s all I have left.” Tears filled her eyes. Tish walked forwards and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“We’re trying to save her.” She said. “Do you have any idea where she could be?”

Rica wiped her eyes, and then hesitated.

“My… boss, he… he won’t be happy if I…” Then she sighed. “Oh, screw him. Follow me… I think I know where he might have her.” Then she turned and walked away. The three Wardens-to-be exchanged a glance; Kat wasn’t so sure about all this. She could be lying, or… or…

But Tish was already following her, Min at her heels. Kat sighed.

_ If we walk into a trap, I’m blaming both of them. _

“There.” The girl said, pointing to a building across the street. She had a veil over her face, and kept to the shadows, ducking around buildings. When Kat asked her why, she said that it was because her boss would kill her, quite literally, if he found out she was showing them his base, and he had spies everywhere. “There’s where they’re probably keeping her… but I wouldn’t go in alone. He’s  _ dangerous _ , and his men are numerous. Almost all of us have ties to him somehow, nowadays. The times have become so desperate…” She sighed. “I hope Natie is alright.”

“We will get her out.” Tish promised. Then she turned to Kat. “Go get Duncan. We will need him, if she is truly here.” The mage frowned.

“What?”

“Like he said, we have very little standing with these people.” Tish explained. “Min and I least of all. I doubt us asking questions will give the Wardens much credit. If, however, the girl is here, then we are going to need him so that he can stop the guards. Alone, all we can do is fight them, and that-“

“Would piss off our hosts, yeah, I know.” Kat rolled her eyes. “I’ll be right back, then. Promise not to go in without me?” Tish rolled her eyes.

“Just hurry.”

“Keep her out of trouble, Owl.” Kat said, and the boy jumped, flushing.

“What?”

“You heard me.” She grinned, jogging away. “I’m counting on you!”

Min’s eyes darted between the building, and Tish, looking sort of apprehensive, but she just laughed.

“She is joking.” Tish said. “All we will do for now is sit and wait. We can do nothing without Duncan here.”

“Oh… okay.” Min nodded, turning his eyes to the door.

They didn’t have to wait long; one moment, it was quiet, the occasional wave of murmuring audible from passing strangers, and the next too many things were happening at once for Min to even try to keep up with.

First, the door to the store flew open, and out stumbled the very girl they were trying to find and her black haired, ponytailed friend from before.

Second, Kat arrived with Duncan at her heels, both of their attentions (as well as everyone else’s within ear shot) getting caught by the third thing; namely, the guards shouting, “there she is!” and drawing their swords, running towards the apprentices on the dais. Tish ran out from behind the building to stand right in front of the two dwarves, and after a second of panicky hesitation Min followed – granted, he was more stumbling along behind her as she marched quickly and firmly towards her destination, so he doubted it made as much of an impact, but like…

Anyways.

“Drop your weapons and move down slowly!” The guards shouted, their swords already drawn, anger on their faces.

“Everyone please calm down.” Tish said calmly, and Min kind of had to wonder how she managed to do that. “There is no need to fight.”

“We’ll use force if we must!” They replied.

“We were the victims! We were  _ kidnapped! _ ” The dwarf - Natie, her sister had called her - snapped, pushing between the two elves to stand in front of the guards, her head held high with fire in her eyes. “A fat lot of good you guards do, hmm?”

“Nat!” Her friend hissed, reaching to grab her arm and looking helplessly at the two warden recruits.

“You do not speak until the shapers have judged you! Now drop your weapons!” The dwarf returned to his shouting, right as Duncan reached them, pushing through to the center.

“One moment, my friend. Did you not suggest this Beraht might have arranged their convenient escape?”

“Regardless, the penalty for impersonating a higher caste is death.” The dwarf snapped. Duncan frowned.

“If Beraht is as influential as you say, perhaps he also masterminded Everd’s impersonation.” The Warden said. Kat’s hand was on her sword, but she hadn’t yet drawn it, her gaze locked with Tish’s as the elf shook her head. Min wasn’t entirely sure why Kat was so eager to have to fight people, although he couldn’t deny the dwarves’ policies were… a bit ridiculous.

“Yeah, well, last time I saw Beraht… oh, five mintues ago?” Nat said, frowning thoughtfully with one eyebrow raised, “He was suffering from a rather bad case of  _ dead.” _

There was a long pause.

“Beraht’s dead?” The guard eventually choked out. “He… he had lots of enemies, but also many powerful allies… They-“

“Beraht would have butchered us if she hadn’t killed him first!” The black haired dwarf defended angrily from behind them.

“Your friend has once again proven her courage.” Duncan said approvingly, nodding his head at her, and Min could see the conscription coming from a mile away.

_ This is it. _ He thought, holding his breath.

“We Grey Wardens travel far and wide in search of those with the potential to join our ranks.” He smiled. “It seems I have found one.”

Again, there was a shocked pause. Min watched it register on the girl’s face – first surprise, and then confusion.

“What are you saying?” She asked suspiciously. 

“That I have found what I sought in Orzammar.” Duncan replied. “Let me make my offer formal; I, Duncan of the Grey Wardens, extend an invitation for you to join our order.”

“This woman is wanted for treason!” The guard exploded, face red with anger. His soldiers shifted uneasily around him. “You can’t do this!”

“I can and I am.” Duncan replied shortly, and then turned back to the girl. “It would mean traveling to the surface lands away from your people, but it does offer you the chance to strike a blow against the Darkspawn and the Blight.”

The girl studied him for a moment, frowning, and then asked, “What’s the trick? There’s no way it’s that easy.”

“While it is no trick, it is a dangerous life. I can promise you no guarantee of safety.” He paused, and then said, “I can also give you nothing in return for these hazards. In joining me, you leave all you know behind.” She frowned, digesting this, and then sighed.

“It does seem like my best option.” She said with a small glare at the guards, who huffed angrily. Some of the soldiers peeled off from the back, running to the palace to no doubt go and tell on them to the dwarven royalty.

“Then before these witnesses, I hereby recruit you into the Grey Wardens. Know that you are most welcome.” He said, and a bit of the tension in the air seemed to snap. A smile spread over Kat’s face, and Min breathed a sigh of relief. Tish just nodded, and stepped back.

“This is… highly irregular.” The dwarf guard said gruffly. “The warrior families will be… most upset.”

“I will talk with them.” Duncan promised. “Now you may go on your way. You have no more business here, I presume?”

The guard glared at him. Then he turned and motioned to his men. They walked away. Min breathed a  _ second _ sigh of relief.

“Look at you, you duster!” The black haired dwarf turned to his friend, a brilliant smile on his face. “A  _ Warden! _ And to think I knew you back when you were stealing bread!” The girl – Natie – smiled, and rolled her eyes.

“We must be off from this place, quickly. There are things I must attend to at your palace, and it is probably best if we get out off the streets until this dies down.” Duncan said. “Do you have any goodbyes to say?”

“I do.” She replied, raising an eyebrow at him. He nodded, and she turned back to her friend. He laughed again, still grinning.

“From Dust Town to the Grey Wardens… if you’re not careful, salroka, you’ll end up a Paragon.” He said, and she laughed. “And then  _ I’ll _ never hear the end of it, will I?”

“I expect to hear you’re running Dust Town when I get back, is that clear?” She replied. “Beraht’s dead – run the Carta. Change their purpose, Leske.” She paused. “And take care of my sister.”

His eyes gleamed.

“I can do that.”

“You lay a hand on her she doesn’t want, I’ll come back with an army.” Nat replied sweetly, and he chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Don’t worry, Rica will be safe.” He nodded. She sighed.

“I’ll miss you, Leske.” She said, and he paused for a moment, nodding, and then nudged her shoulder, chuckling.

“Aww, that’s the problem with women. Too sentimental.” He grinned, and she rolled her eyes. “Now get out of here, before the Warden realizes what you’re like without all that armor on, yeah?” She laughed and then stepped off the dias to her sister. She still hadn't really even acknowledged the rest of them there, and Min shifted awkwardly, sort of feeling like he was seeing things he shouldn’t be.

“I can believe you’re really leaving. And as a Warden!” Rica said, her hands on her younger sister’s shoulders. “When Sir Duncan said he wanted to recruit you, I almost fell over!” She sighed. “When I heard you’d been arrested, I rushed to the palace, but by then you were gone. I heard Bhelen’s men saying they were going to kill you, and then…” She looked over at Kat with a smile. “Then I heard them saying they were going to find you, so I tagged along.” Nat paused, glancing at the other recruits silently for a moment.

Then she turned back to her sister.

“Will it be safe for you, if I leave?” She asked. Rica smiled.

“It has been a lucky day for us both, Natie. I spent the afternoon with my patron… if everything works out well… maybe I can even greet you as an equal when you return.”

Min wasn’t quite sure what she was talking about, but Tish let out a little sigh and Kat’s face turned cold again as she glared at a group of Nobles passing by.

“Is this the same man you spoke of earlier?” Nat asked, and Rica nodded.

“Yes… he calls me his amber rose.” She replied, voice sweetening. “Isn’t that nice? He has a voice like a poet.” She sighed. “He’s already promised to move mother and I to better lodging, where he can find me more quickly when he wants me.”

Kat’s fist tightened, and Tish frowned.

Min really wished he knew what was going on.

“And you’ll be  _ happy _ like this?” Nat asked, sounding the most vulnerable she had since they’d met her. It was obvious the two of them were close. Rica smiled.

“I am. Truly, Natie. I could never make a life fighting darkspawn like you, trust me.” She looked towards the palace. “But if I can have a son who makes his house proud, that’s all I can ask for.”

_ Oh. _

Min finally got it.

He paled, and Tish sighed again.

Rica smiled, oblivious to their responses to her situation, and pulled her sister into a hug. Then she nodded.

“Right. Go on. Go tell Duncan you’re ready to be more than… than a whore’s little sister.” Her voice softened, and Natie still hesitated for a moment.

Then she nodded.

“I’ll make you proud, Rica.” She promised. Her sister nodded.

“I know you will.” Then she sighed. “I have to get back to mother. Shall I tell her you said goodbye?”

“If she cares.” Nat shrugged. Rica sighed.

“If she cares.” She agreed. “Goodbye, Natie.”

“I’ll see you again, Rica.” Natie promised. “Stay safe.” Then her sister walked away. The dwarf sighed, and then turned to Duncan. “Right. Now what?”

“I’m glad you got to talk to those who care for you.” Duncan said. “Now we must get somewhere the nobles will not see you. There are still things I must do in here before we leave for Ostagar.”

“There are some tunnels.” Leske offered. “To the palace, I mean. If you’re careful, we could probably sneak in.” Duncan thought about it for a moment, and then nodded.

“Where do these tunnels lead to?” he asked.

“The servant quarters, where else?” Leske replied. “We can make it to your rooms without any trouble. I assume you’re in the King’s guest rooms?” The Warden nodded. “Good, no problem. We can make it.”

“We will meet you there, then. It wouldn’t do to have us suddenly appear inside without having been seen by the guards.” The two dwarves nodded. “Be quick.”

“Will do.” Leske nodded. “Come on, Nat, let’s go.”

“Alright.” She sighed, and turned to follow him without another word. There was a pause.

“That was… not what I expected.” Kat said. “The measures her people are forced to go through… It’s  _ wrong, _ everything about this place is  _ wrong.” _

“We managed to save her, though, Kat. Take solace in that.” Duncan said. “Come. We must get to the palace… there is a party tonight, for Sereda, that I must attend, as well as things I need to discuss with you three about tomorrow.”

“What’s going on tomorrow?” Kat asked, frowning. Duncan sighed.

“We will be heading into the deep roads.” He said, turning around. “The king has asked us to accompany his daughter on her quest… and I figure it is as good a time as any to show you exactly what you will be facing when we reach the surface again.”

“What?” Kat demanded. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” Duncan sighed, staring to walk away, “That tomorrow you will face the very creatures we are born to fight. Tomorrow, you will face the Darkspawn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey yall its been a hot minute here's chapter five


	6. Aeducan

They reached and entered the place easily; Duncan sent them to their rooms, to wait for Natie and Leske’s arrival. He had to go speak with the king about his recruitment of the girl, as well as prepare for the party. Evidentially, the three recruits were not invited.

It’d been about five minutes when there was a knock on the door, and Kat rushed to it.

“Wait a minute, Kat.” Tish said before her friend could open the door. “We need to be careful, remember?” The mage sighed, and then nodded.

“I know, I know.”

With one hand on her staff and the other on the door, she peeked through the crack, only to see the two dwarves they were waiting for. She sighed in relief and pushed it open – they slipped inside quickly, and then the door was shut behind them.

“Take a little longer and get us caught again, why don’t you.” Nat muttered. Kat frowned.

“We-“

“I know, you need to be careful. I respect that.” She sighed. “Just not looking forwards to another cage, is all.” She looked around. “So, you’re all going to be Wardens, then?”

“That’s the plan.” Kat replied. “I’m Kaite – Kat’s fine.”

“Atisha’len. Pleased to meet you. Call me Tish, if you prefer.” Her friend said next, and Min waved.

“Uh, Minehn. Or… just Min.” he flushed. The girl raised her eyebrows.

“Right. I’m Natie. Nat to my friends.” She frowned. “Well, to Leske, at least.” She turned to him. “You should get back, by the way.”

“That anxious to get rid of me?” he grinned. She rolled her eyes.

“You know there’s only a small window for you to take over.” she said. “This is your chance, Leske. If Jarvia-“

“I know, I get it.” He sighed. “Good luck to you, Nat. I probably won’t see you again before you leave, but if you ever get back…”

“I’ll be sure to stop in.” She promised, and leaned over to kiss his cheek. Min flushed, but Tish and Kat smiled gently.

“Aw, is that all I get?” Leske asked. Nat looked at the wardens, and then shrugged.

“Excuse me for a moment?”

“Go ahead.” Kat laughed, and she and Tish turned around, walking farther back into the room, grabbing Min’s arm as they did so.

A few minutes later, they heard the door open, and then close, and then Nat appeared behind them. Her face was flushed, but she was smiling.

“Ahh, good old Leske. I’m going to miss him.”

“We you two together?” Kat asked. Nat shrugged.

“Not exclusively. We were more than friends, but we would never… you know.” She shrugged. “Marry, or anything. Neither of us are the type.” She sighed, and then looked around. “This place is fancier than I expected, not that I should be surprised.”

“It is a palace, I guess.” Kat shrugged. Nat laughed dryly.

“You’d be surprised; some of the Noble’s houses are far nicer than this, even.” She rolled her eyes. “They do enjoy showing off.”

“It’s not right.” Kat shook her head. “The way they treat you, I mean.” Nat raised an eyebrow at her.

“You obviously don’t know much about dwarves. It’s tradition, the casteless being stepped on by their betters. And we  _ love _ tradition, here in Orzammar.”

“Is she being sarcastic?” Min whispered, and Tish smiled at him, chuckling slightly.

“Yes, Min, I believe she is.” She replied.

“Perhaps I’m a bit unorthodox.” Nat shrugged. “It’s not like I can get kicked out of my caste for it. Warriors and nobles, well. They can always go lower. But me?” She shrugged. “Not much I can do to make them hate me any more than they already do. Might as well speak my mind, right?”

“I suppose that is one way of looking at it.” Tish agreed.

“So, I’ve heard of the Wardens a bit down here, but I don’t know much. Fight the darkspawn, save the world – is that really the job description?” Kat snorted.

“More of the lifestyle description, from what I’ve heard.” She replied. “Duncan isn’t very forthcoming with information other than ‘dangerous’ and ‘no promise of safety’ and ‘honorable cause’.”

“So, we’re all probably going to die.” Nat summarized.

“Well.” Kat shrugged. “Hopefully not. But maybe.”

“Sorry, I forgot… see, down here, ‘I’m probably going to die’ basically every day, so this… this is kind of a huge step up for me. I mean, Wardens… they’re respected on the surface, right?”

“To an extent.” Tish replied. “Some like them more than others.”

“Well, it’s still better than here.” Nat said. “None of you had to work for crime bosses to get by, right?” She frowned. “I’m probably a criminal to you lot, aren’t I?”

“That is yet to be seen.” Tish shrugged.

“Tish!” Kat frowned disapprovingly, and then turned to the dwarf. “I saw your fight. In the proving, I mean.”

“I know. I saw you watching.” Nat replied with a grin. “I have to say, that was… probably the most fun I’ve had in my entire life.”

Min sort of nodded along with the conversation, like he had any idea what was happening, and he hadn’t slept through the entirety of the fight.

“You were more honorable than some of them. You didn’t fight dirty.” Kat said. Nat shrugged.

“Doesn’t mean I don’t know how.” She replied. “If we’re going to work together, you should know I don’t have a problem killing people who deserve it.”

“Does anyone ever really…  _ deserve _ it?” Min asked, frowning. So far what he’d seen of the dwarf didn’t much appeal to him, but then, it’s not like she was a  _ horrible _ person…

“When a noble shatters my neighbor’s knees because she asked for a few measly coins so she could have a bite of bread for food for the day, then yeah.” Nat shrugged. “He deserves it.”

“Maker.” Kat breathed. “That’s horrible.”

“I will say I don’t torture.” Nat said. “Does that make you feel better? I make it fast and quick. Painless as possible – not that they deserve  _ that _ either.”

“And what if they don’t deserve it?” Tish asked, sitting on the bed. “You worked for a crime lord. I’ve no doubt you’ve had to do your fair share of getting rid of his enemies, yes?” Nat studied her quietly.

“Perceptive. Smart.” She nodded. “Yeah, I’ve had to do things I didn’t want to. But if there was a way to let them go I would. Leske and I, we made contacts, ways to get people to the surface without Beraht knowing. Long as they promised to get lost, I didn’t have a problem with it.”

“You made them leave?” Min frowned. “Just like that? What about their families?” Nat sighed, and fixed him in her bluish-green stare.

“I’ve got a sister.” She said. “Rica might not have had to kill people. But she had to…” Nat broke off. “Those  _ bastards _ treated her like their plaything. Beraht educated her, dressed her up like a doll, and made her perform for the Nobles, banking on the fact that she’d get their lower regions fired up and make her pregnant. She had to  _ let _ them. You know how old she is? Twenty one. Do you know how long she’s had to do this for him?” Min shook his head, looking slightly green in the face. “He found us when she was twelve. Does that answer your question? I did what I had to in order to keep her safe. If I didn’t do what he asked, he threatened to kill her. If that meant removing some of Beraht’s obstacles to the surface, then fine. They were alive, and my sister stayed safe. I don’t see the huge problem. And it wasn’t  _ easy _ to keep them alive. There was always the risk Beraht would find out. So yeah, I played a dangerous game. I always have. Bite me.” She shrugged.

“I’m… I’m sorry.” Min flushed. “I didn’t mean…”

“I know… It’s fine.” She said. “I just thought you should know. Another thing, if you haven't figured it out yet; I’m generally very direct. I get things done, and I don’t like a lot of bullshit in between.” She shrugged. “Think what you like.”

“Lion.” Kat said suddenly. “Definitely.”

“It does fit.” Tish agreed, but she rolled her eyes. “You are ridiculous, you know.”

“For the animal?” Min blinked, and Kat laughed.

“Yep.” She looked at Nat. “Tish and I, we’re mages, just so you know. Tish likes lightning, fire, that stuff… I’m more of a healer. I connect with nature. People, animals, stuff like that. I give everyone I meet something I symbolize them with.”

“And I’m a lion?” Nat asked. Kat nodded.

“Yep.” She looked at Min. “He’s an owl. Tish is a deer.” Tish rolled her eyes, and Kat grinned. Nat laughed, shaking her head.

“None of you are what I expected.” She said. “Mind if I ask how you all were recruited? Probably a lot less exciting than mine, wasn’t it?” She chuckled. Kat hesitated, and Tish’s smile slipped away. Min’s eyes darted to the floor.

Nat frowned.

“Or… not, I guess. Right. I won’t ask.” She sighed, looking around. “So, speaking of the big guy, where’d he get off to?”

“There’s a party for Sereda tonight.” Kat replied. “We weren’t invited to attend, but he was.”

“Ah, Orzammar’s newest  _ commander. _ ” Nat replied sarcastically.

“Not a fan?” Tish raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not a fan of  _ any _ of the Noble class. There’s some decent Commoner folk who don’t treat us too horribly, but basically all the Warrior caste, and the entire Noble cast… yeah, I don’t have much respect for them.” She shrugged. “Least of all the royal family. If she’s anything like her brother…”

“Which one?” Kat asked. “She’s got two, right?” Nat nodded.

“Yeah. Trian – he’s next in line for king. He’s a real asshole. No one likes him… honestly, there’s talk that the Assembly won’t pick him even if he is the king’s choice.” She said. “All that power got to his head, I guess. He’s rude, and bossy, from what I’ve heard. Real tool.” She shook her head in disgust. “I can’t say I’m going to miss Orzammar, honestly. I just wish I could bring Leske and Rica with me. They wouldn’t make it, though. ‘Specially not Rica.”

“Your friend – he’s a warrior, is he not?” Tish asked. Nat shrugged.

“Leske? Yeah, he can fight… but he’s too sensitive to fight Darkspawn, and he’s… pretty attached to some parts of this place, honestly. He belongs down here. Not in the casteless, mind you – no one deserves that. But Orzammar… yeah, he belongs down here.” She shrugged. “I never really did. I never thought I’d get the chance to leave, though.”

“Well, we’re glad you’re with us.” Kat said. “More the better, right?” she smiled. “I think you might be the first one that entirelywillingly came along, though. I wonder if Duncan has ever recruited anyone who had a choice.”

“You guys didn’t?” Nat blinked in surprise. Kat shrugged.

“I have a girlfriend who’s still trapped in the circle, and apprentices who I was training. I had to leave them behind.” She said. Nat noticed how she still didn’t say  _ why _ , but she wasn’t going to ask. They all had secrets, after all.

“Girlfriend?” She asked instead. Kat nodded, frowning.

“Is that a problem?”

“Hell no.” Nat laughed. “I swing both ways, if you know what I mean. Or, I guess technically all the ways. We like who we like; no helping that.”

“I see.” Kat laughed. “Well, join the club, then.”

“What about you two?” Nat asked, wiggling her eyebrows. “Any preferences?”

“I’m not looking.” Tish shrugged. “And I don’t plan to be any time soon. Does that satisfy you?”

“Sure.” Nat shrugged. “What about you, Owl boy?”

“Oh. Uh.” Min was bright red. “I…Uh. I dunno…”

“Hey, you don’t  _ have _ to say anything.” Nat said. “Look, I ask questions. I don’t expect them all to be answered. I’ve been trained to learn things about people; I guess it’s hard to see others as friends instead of targets, now. Honestly, all these ready answers are kind of weird, for me.” She laughed. “Generally the people I’m talking to aren’t the most forthcoming with information, especially not about themselves.” She shrugged apologetically. “When you’ve lived your life one way for such a long time, well… old habits die hard, right?”

“Yes, I suppose they do.” Tish smiled. “You seem rather perceptive, yourself, though… I suspect you know some of these answers before the question is even asked.” Nat grinned.

“You and I are going to do this a lot, aren’t we?” She said. “Yeah, I’m good at reading people. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to get to know them… and I’ve been wrong before, too. I like to second-check.”

“Really.” Tish said, more as a statement of interest than a question. “I was thinking you did it because you already knew the answer, and simply compared the two to see if they were lying. If  _ I _ were hunting targets, I would think knowing how readily truthful they were would be one of my first priorities.” She smiled. “Also, when you know they’re lying on easy questions, it becomes easier to tell when they lie on harder questions. Isn’t that right?”

Nat studied her for a long, silent moment. Then she laughed.

“Correct on all accounts.” She said. “You’re smarter than I initially gave you credit for.”

“Oh?”

“Well, you  _ did _ sort of jump in front of some of Orzammar’s guards for a street rat you didn’t even know.” She said. “I sort of assumed you were the more emotional type. But there’s more logic in you than I thought.” She looked around at each of them, meeting their eyes. “Yeah, I think this is going to work.” She nodded in satisfaction. “A Warden, hmm.”

Then she grinned.

“I think I’m going to enjoy this.”

“Trian and his men will clear the way for the Wardens to descend into the eastern most cavern.” The guard said, and Min sighed.

He wasn’t going with them. He’d sort of slightly panicked when they were getting ready that morning, and Tish and informed Duncan he’d be staying behind. The Warden had tried to protest – she hadn’t let him. Eventually he’d sighed, admitting that of all of them, Min had been the only one to actually fight darkspawn previously and given the circumstances didn’t necessarily  _ need  _ to accompany them.

For that, he was grateful. Instead, he was charged with staying back in the castle with Nat, to keep away any prying eyes or guardsmen that might come and try to take her while the rest were in Orzammar. He could do that.

It didn’t involve  _ tunnels… _ or  _ darkspawn.  _ Anything was better than that, even having to fight dwarven guardsmen. The tunnels were bad enough as it was – they alone made him feel queasy. The thought of seeing those…  _ things,  _ again,  _ the things that took Tamlen, that made him sick, gross, rotting things with terrible screams –  _ He shook his head against the noises ringing in his ears. Often, his sleep was plagued with nightmares that held visions of them, chasing him, grabbing at his clothes. Other times it was Tamlen, reaching out to him as they dragged him away, or Tamlen, touching the mirror and him not doing anything, or-

No. He was not going – and all it’d taken Tish was one look at his face to know that he couldn’t. He wasn’t sure how, but he wished all of Mythal’s blessings on her for it.

He’d still come out to see them off, though, and was standing off on the side, watching as Lord Harrowmont, one of the King’s advisors or something, informed the troops of their plan. He looked over to the princess; Sereda was dressed from head to foot in heavy armor. He vaguely wondered how she managed to fight with such weight on her. He doubted he’d even be able to lift it, much less swing a sword while wearing it. 

Gorim, he thought the dwarf’s name was, was standing resolutely behind her, a small smile on his face, his helmet in the crook of his arm. She was in a similar position, blond hair tied in two pigtails behind her shoulders – her hair was short, though, barely able to be contained without falling loose.. Still, it must have been better than hair flying in her face while she fought darkspawn, right?

“Those caverns are still infested by the worst of the Darkspawn. We cannot risk our own troops in there.” The Captan continued, and Min frowned. Sort of sounded like the dwarves were getting the Wardens to do their dirty work for them… Especially with Kat and Tish, who’d never even seen darkspawn before.

“Understood, Lord Harrowmont.” Duncan replied, regardless, stepping forwards. “I should be able to sense the darkspawn and avoid them once the way is open.” The dwarf nodded, and the King bowed his head.

“May the Paragons favor you, and may the Stone catch you if you fall.” He said. The troops bowed their heads in a similar fashion – Min guessed that was their way of saying ‘good luck, don’t’ die’.

“Come, men!” Trian shouted. His voice was harsh, echoing in the chamber, and small, beady eyes looked out from the prince’s face as he surveyed the room. Min didn’t like him from the moment he saw him.  _ He looks aggressively arrogant. Or just… aggressive, in general. _ He thought. “Glory awaits!” And with that, Duncan, Tish, and Kat walked off with the rest of them. The two mages turned and waved at him as they left, and he flushed and waved back, mouthing a silent, “Good luck!”

Then he said a quick prayer to Andruil, for their safety. The knot of worry in his stomach had kept him from eating much breakfast that morning; now it only grew bigger, watching them walk away. Then something caught his ear; the dwarf from before, talking to the King’s youngest son.

“Bhelen, you and your men will second the King, clearing the main road.” He said.

“Don’t you think it looks a little… cowardly, to let these surfacers take our place where fighting the darkspawn is thickest?” He asked, and Min frowned.

“Are you questioning the battle plan?” Harrowmont replied, a challenging tilt to his voice, and Min sensed that this was not the first argument the two of them had had. The way they were glaring at each other…

“Of course not.” Bhelen replied innocently. “I’m sure your caution is for the glory of us all.” He finished, and even to Min’s ears he sounded a bit sarcastic. But there was… something else. A tone that he didn’t like. Sort of like he was hiding something, or… knew something the Lord didn’t.

“Enough, Bhelen.” The King sighed. “take your men and make ready. Harrowmont and I need to have words with your sibling.” He motioned Sereda forwards. Bhelen bowed and walked away.

Perhaps Min was the only one who noticed how he glared at his sister.

He knew he was the only one who saw his smirk as he turned away.

Min frowned.

_ If there was a sign he was up to something… _

He watched the young prince walk away, only half-hearing the King tell his daughter about a secret door, behind which there was some sort of shield or something. They started walking away as they spoke, making it harder and harder to hear them.

He wasn’t much interested in them, though. He hesitated a moment, looking around…

Then he slipped into the shadows, and started off after Bhelen.  _ Mythal preserve me, what am I doing? _ He thought.  _ I should… get back to Nat. I’m sure it’s nothing… none of my business, for sure. And she said Trian was the one to be wary of, not Bhelen… _

But something was nagging at him, and it refused to be ignored. So he crept along, silently, until suddenly Bhelen stopped, just outside the entrance to the Deep Roads. Then he motioned two men forwards; Min frowned, crouching down to watch, and to listen. He was far enough away that he doubted they could see him, but he was an elf – good eyesight was just part of their race.

Good hearing was too.

“…know what you have to do. I will find Trian and slay him. All you have to do is help me blame her, got it?”

“Yes sir, Lord Bhelen.”

“I…” one of them hesitated.

“Is there a  _ problem, _ Sir Gilherd?” The prince snapped. “Do we need to revisit our discussion from last week?”

“No, sir.” The dwarf sighed. “It will done as you please.”

“Good.” The prince said. “I must get going. If you do as I say…” he said, and then paused. “Then I promise, you will be richly rewarded.”

“Yes, Lord Bhelen.” They replied.

Then he disappeared into the cave.

_ Fenedhis. _

Well  _ now _ what? Did he run and tell Sereda? Did he warn the King? Should he try to catch up to Tish and the others? No, they’d… they’d already gone into the Deep Roads. So had prince Trian…

He turned and ran back to where he’d last seen the king and his daughter, but they were already gone. He’d known they walked away, but what direction…

_ This is bad. _ He thought.  _ Very bad. _

They were nowhere in sight. For all he knew, they’d already disappeared into the tunnels. Not only did he have…  _ negative _ desire to go in there, he also would have no clue where he was going, and… he’d never be able to fight off all the darkspawn by himself.

But…

Nat was a dwarf, right? Perhaps… perhaps she’d be able to find them.

He turned and ran towards the palace.

“What?”

“They’re going to kill the prince. Well, one of them is going to kill the other. I think.” Min frowned. “And… I think they’re going to blame the princess for it. They were gone before I could warn them, though, and I… don’t know my way around the Deep Roads. And also I… I’m not a huge fan of… caves. Or tunnels… or. Underground.”

“You must hate Orzammar, then.” Nat said, eyebrow raised. He winced.

“I am used to forests. And. The sky… but that’s not the point.” He shook his head. “Bhelen, I think… uh, that’s his name, right?” She nodded. “Yeah, well, he’s… I  _ think _ he’s going to kill Trian.”

“Good.” Nat shrugged. “Not my problem. Nobles are all assholes, even to each other. I’m not surprised, honestly. Trian’s always bossed his youngest sibling around.”

“But…!” Min stared. “He’s going to  _ murder _ him, and blame his sister!”

“So he’s a backstabbing asshole, big whoop.” She shrugged again. “It’s not my problem if all her siblings are jerks.”

“They’re not just jerks, they’re… It’s…” he shook his head in frustration, because she just didn’t  _ understand _ . “Help me stop it. Please. I don’t know the Deep Roads… or, really anything about darkspawn, or… you know, other dwarf things.” He sighed. “But she was nice. I don’t know what they’ll do if they think she killed her brother… and I don’t want her to get blamed for it. And I mean… I don’t really want them to kill anyone either.”

“I finally get to leave this place, what makes you think I care who leads it?” She demanded suddenly, eyes darkening with anger. “Besides, you think  _ I _ know the Deep Roads? I’ve never been down there! I’ve seen a few maps, sure, but I’m not Warrior caste – the only way I’d be there is if they’d actually managed to carry out their sentence of execution, which, thanks to you and your friends, they didn’t. I  _ escaped _ having to go there.”

“But… But she’s innocent!” Min protested.

“No such thing as an innocent Noble, least of all the princess.” Nat shook her head. “Sorry, elf boy, but I won’t help you.”

He frowned.

“Wardens are  _ supposed _ to help people.” He said. “If… if there’s anything I’ve understood from Duncan, it’s that. It doesn’t matter who they are or what they’ve done.. I mean, we took you, right? You’ve killed people… you worked for a  _ crime organization _ . I know it wasn’t your choice, really, and… and your situation was different, but…” He frowned. “But we helped you because what they were going to do was wrong… and now this, this is wrong too… and like…” he sighed in frustration, wishing he were better with words. “She’s different from the other nobles. When we saw her, I mean. She’s innocent. They’re going to blame her for  _ killing _ her  _ brother. _ That’s… that’s not  _ fair.” _

“The world isn’t fair, Minehn.” Nat said darkly. “If she doesn’t know that by now, she needs to wake up. This will be a good chance for that. And you should too, by the way. Maybe for you it’s all leaping through the trees and staring at clouds, but life isn’t that happy for some people.”

A flash of anger ripped through him. It wasn’t often he got angry… hardly ever, actually. . He couldn’t remember the last time he was genuinely  _ mad _ like this.

“You don’t know anything.” He said. “Tish might think you do… but you don’t.”

Then he turned and grabbed his swords. Nat raised an eyebrow.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ve got to at least try… I can’t really be a Warden if I don’t, right?” He shrugged, and walked to the door. “I’ll be back… hopefully.”

And then, he left. His footsteps thudded in the hall to the pace of his rapidly beating heart, and he was vaguely certain he was going to puke, but… he didn’t really have a choice, right? He  _ had _ to do something…

And then the door opened and closed again. He paused, and then turned.

Nat was glaring at him from down the hallway, a bow in her hand and arrows strapped to her back, as well as two daggers around her waist. He blinked in surprise.

“You’re…”

“I swear by the Stone, elf, if this goes horribly, I’m sacrificing you first.” She muttered. He flushed.

“U-uh…”

“But, until then…” She continued, starting off ahead of him, “I’ve got your back. No one should head into the Deep Roads alone, and… I suppose you’ve got a point. The Warden thing, I mean. And…” She paused. “Well, let’s just say I’ve got something I want to say to her about our fight earlier today, alright?”

He blinked, not  _ entirely _ sure what she was talking about, but then nodded.

“Uh, sure.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

“So, what exactly should we be expecting?” Kat asked irritably, the end of her staff glowing blue to light the dim tunnels. Duncan sighed.

“The Darkspawn are soulless shells of what used to be creatures that walked the earth.” He said. “They are tainted with the Blight, evil in intent, indiscriminate in their carnage. They are also numerous. Most fight like most warriors do – with a sword, and whatever Maker-forsaken armor they can steal from their victims. Others may use long range weapons, or some of the more nasty ones may even possess magic.” He paused. “In general, you may think of a simple army, except with uncontrollable and inexplicable bloodlust and no conscience or thought to whom they slaughter or how, and most with higher than average strength in both their attacks and their ability to take damage.”

There was a moment of silence where his words just seemed to echo eerily down the tunnels; Tish was frowning, eyes scanning far ahead of where the other two could see, and yet spotting nothing to suggest the horror Duncan described.

“Great.” Kat finally replied, clearing her throat. “Piece of cake, right?” her hand was tight around the wood of her staff.

“I would not say that.” Duncan replied gravely. She shot him quick glare.

“Not helping.” She muttered under her breath.

“I see no point in babying your fears.” He replied.

“Something’s coming.” Tish said quietly. They all stopped; Duncan turned to them.

“It is a small group.” He said. “Nothing we cannot handle.”

“Can’t you sense these things?” Kat demanded angrily. “How did we end up walking right towards some of… oh, you bastard.”

“Kat.” Tish said quietly, voice urgent. “They’ve heard you. Get ready.”

“What?” Kat demanded, staff slipping to her side. Tish stalked forwards, lighting sparking at the tip of her staff. “Wait, where did… oh, I’m going to kill him!” Kat hissed, looking around only to realize Duncan had disappeared, no doubt watching from one of the many side tunnels.

Then the tunnel was lit with purple light, and there was a flash of heat; a second later, a scream that sounded like it came from the very pits of the void echoed down the cavern to them, shrill and terrible, making Kat’s skin crawl. She paled instantly, and her and Tish shared a shocked glance.

“What was… that?” Kat breathed, just as the most hideous creature she’d ever laid eyes on, looking like something out of her worst nightmares, or perhaps even more terrifying than that, with rotting skin and smell that could wake the dead, lumbered into view. It ran on two uneven legs, the bone at its knee sticking through the side of its leg. Behind it another, beefier one ran, carrying an old, rusted longsword, skin reddened and cracked, horns beginning to grow out of its head, jaw jutting forwards with sharp teeth barred in a growl. “Oh, Maker.” She whispered, feeling bile rising in her stomach.

“Kat.” Tish said, eyes cold and hard as stone as the tunnel again filled with energy, purple lightning sparking at the tip of her staff. “Get ready.”

“I… yeah.” Kat swallowed, shifting her staff to the other hand. “I am.”

It felt like an eternity and yet also only a few milliseconds more before the creature reached her and the sharp end of the sword clanged against the wood of her staff. The stench was almost overwhelming, and she gagged as she ducked under a second swing; as she did so, she drug her staff on the ground, bringing the creature’s feet out from underneath it; it fell to the ground with a cry of shock, and she winced at the sound.

Then she tapped the wall; boulders flew to her aid, covering the darkspawn from head to toe before it could fully get to its feet, dragging it down to the ground.

She took a deep breath, and for a second she didn’t think she could do it.

Then she swung her staff like a bat towards the pile of rocks, and the snap of the Darkspawn’s head breaking from its body could be heard all the way down the tunnel. She might’ve screamed as she did it – she wasn’t sure.

All she knew it at some point she became aware of a hand on her shoulder; somehow her knees had buckled and she’d slid down a bit, leaning between the wall and her staff. The hand was gentle, however, and familiar.

“That was awful.” Kat breathed.

“Yes… it was.” Tish agreed. Kat finally peeled her eyes open to look at her friend, and saw something she rarely ever saw in the elf’s eyes.

Fear. Uncertainty.

Kat lifted a shaking hand and placed it on top of Tish’s, giving a little squeeze. The elf offered a small grateful smile in return but there was not much joy in it.

After a moment, Kat sighed, finally looking about the scene of the fight. There’d been three of them – the largest of them was lying flat on its back, a hole burned through its chest, black blood seeping out onto the ground. The other had… more or less exploded all across the tunnel.

The head of the one she’d killed was laying a few feet away, mouth still open in its last snarling cry. She swallowed thickly.

“This has nothing on the spiders.” She whispered. Tish blinked, and then shifted.

“I am not sure about that.” She said, helping Kat to her feet once more. Kat rolled her eyes, turning her back on the carnage and attempting a shaky smile.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She said. “You hate spiders more than… than those  _ things?”  _ she gestured over her shoulder without turning around to look. Tish glanced behind her, frowning slightly.

“Perhaps.” She said. “It is a very close competition.”

“Well done, recruits!” Duncan’s voice came behind them; a second later, the sound of a slap echoed down the hallway. Kat’s hand throbbed where she’d hit his cheek bone.

“You  _ fucking bastard.”  _ She seethed. “How  _ dare _ you-“

“Kat.” Tish said, and there was something in her voice that stopped her from saying more. Instead she just mustered the strongest glare she could at the warden, before turning on her heel and stalking away. Tish studied Duncan with cold eyes.

“I hope you are pleased with what you’ve done.” She said icily.

Then she too turned, leaving him standing there, the darkspawn’s blood soaking into his shoes.

They were very lost.

So far, no darkspawn had attacked them – Min attributed that fact to all the Warriors that’d gone ahead to clear out the tunnels, so at least that was a plus, but…

They were still lost. Very lost.

“That’s it.” Nat said angrily, glaring at him. “We see a darkspawn, you’re on your own.” He gaped in surprise, eyes widening in shock.

It was already hard to breathe. The walls felt like they kept getting smaller and smaller. More than once, he’d heard Tamlen’s voice in his head, and he kept thinking he saw mirrors just around the corner, kept thinking he was back in  _ that _ cave… The idea of having to fight a creature from the Void, it… it…

“I’m  _ kidding, _ Min, seriously.” Nat rolled her eyes. “Are you really that freaked out right now?”

He breathed a sigh of relief, but the knot in his stomach was tighter than ever.

“I… really don’t like this.” He replied. “At all.”

“We shouldn’t have come down here in the first place.” Nat replied. “But you just  _ had _ to go play hero…” she sighed, and then slid to the ground. “Look, wandering around is just getting us deeper into the tunnels. We shouldn’t go farther.”

“But… If we don’t go anywhere then we’ll just be stuck here!” he squeaked.

“Face it.” She said shortly. “We’re already stuck here.”

The walls got even closer.

His chest grew tighter.

“N-no, we can’t stop walking.” He shook his head. “We might run into the others, maybe…”

“Do you  _ know _ how big this place is?” Nat laughed dryly. “If there  _ was _ any chance of us running into them, which there basically isn’t, then we’d only make it worse by moving around. Our only option, shitty as it is, is to sit here and pray to whatever gods you believe in that they happen to see us on their way back to Orzammar.”

Min swallowed thickly.

_ This can’t be happening. _

“Well, it is.” The dwarf replied. He hadn’t realized he’d spoken aloud. But the longer he stood there, the closer the tunnel walls got, and he couldn’t  _ breathe _ , couldn’t  _ see _ , and his ears were ringing, and everything was fading, it was too much, too close, this had been a horrible idea from the start, thinking he could go down here, it was stupid, he shouldn’t have-

And then his hurried train of thought was stopped by one beat of his heart. It was different; a tingling began in his spine. His heart beat hard again.

The tingling grew worse.

“We have to go.” He said. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but he  _ did. _

“Look, I just told you-“

“Something is  _ coming. _ ” He insisted. “I… don’t know how I know, I just do!  _ We’ve got to go, _ okay?” Something in his voice must have persuaded her, because she frowned and got to her feet without further protest.

“Fine, this way… there was a tunnel that branched off back there, I think. We can hide from whatever it is, if there’s really something coming.” He nodded, and they set off together, walking down the tunnel until they reached the branch off; something was wrong, though. The tingling was growing worse.

“No.” He shook his head. “Not that way, it’s coming from there. Come on…” He started to run back the way they’d come. Nat frowned but followed him without questioning it; in a different situation, he might have paused to reflect on how odd it felt to actually be leading her instead of the other way around.

Ahead, he saw another branch off, and ran towards it. He darted inside and Nat followed him; they were both breathing heavy, and it was dark. If not for his eyesight, he wouldn’t have been able to see anything.

“Shh.” Nat hushed him. He tried to quiet his breathing.

It was about five minutes later that the darkspawn ran past them, their armor creaking, wreaking of death. Min couldn’t help but gasp, and then slapped a hand to his mouth – luckily, the creatures didn’t hear him. They just kept lumbering by, screeching at each other in their weird language.

Then they passed, and as they walked away, the tingling began to recede. A few minutes later, it was all but gone. He let out a sigh of relief, and then nodded. Nat let her own breath woosh out of her lungs.

“That was closer than I’d have preferred.” she said, and then frowned at him. “how did you know? That they were coming, I mean.” He shrugged helplessly.

“I… don’t know.” He replied. “I could just… feel it.”

“You’re not a Warden yet, right?” Nat asked. He shook his head. “The Wardens can sense Darkspawn.” She insisted. “Are you  _ sure _ they haven't done anything to you yet?”

He frowned.

“I’m sure… I think.” He replied. She rolled her eyes.

“Right. Well, either way it works to our advantage.” She sighed. “At least now we’ll know if they’re coming. Maybe we’ve got a shot after all.” She looked out at the main tunnel. “I just pray to the Ancestors that someone passes this way.”

Hours later, Min was certain they were going to die. They’d had to move around a decent amount, to avoid various clumps of Darkspawn passing by, but there weren’t as many as he’d been led to believe.

He had gotten sick, twice now. He blamed it on not eating breakfast that morning…

And, well, the tunnels.  _ Fenedhis _ , he hated them.

_I should never have left the village._ He thought, dropping his head into his hands. _Screw the Blight, I… I never should have left._ _Keeper could have kept me alive… I could have stayed with Merrill._ _None of this would have happened…_

“Hey. Elf.” Nat nudged his shoe, but he didn’t have the energy to look up anymore. There was no point… no point to any of it… “Min.” she insisted. “Minehn.  _ HEY!” _ She shouted, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. He jumped, shouting in surprise.

“What?” he squeaked, and then she pointed.

There was a light coming down the hall.

“Not darkspawn?” She asked. Min frowned.

There was no tingling.

“No.” he shook his head.

Nat grinned, and a spark of hope lit in his chest.

“Do you think…”

“Let’s go.”

They got up and ran towards the light, and for the first time it didn’t seem like the tunnels were so close because there was a  _ chance, _ they really might make it…

Instead they stumbled straight into a dwarf. She was alone, with only a torch, some low-level armor, and a sword. Tears were running down her face.

It wasn’t until she looked up that Min realized it was Sereda.

“Oh.” He blinked. “It’s… it’s you.”

“Great.” Nat rolled her eyes. “Exiled, then, were you?”

The dwarf frowned.

“You… you were with Duncan.” She said. Min nodded. “Where is he? Why isn’t he with you?”

“We… didn’t come in with him.” Min flushed in embarrassment. “Uh… We were coming to warn you.” She blinked in confusion, rubbing her eyes.

“Warn me?”

“Your… brother, he was going to… uh, I guess you already know by now, though.” He trailed off. She stared at him.

“You… you knew what Bhelen was planning?” her voice broke when she said her brother’s name. Min hesitated.

“Not until you were already gone.” He said. “I heard him talking to some men about blaming you for it, and how he was going to kill Trian himself… I was going to try to warn you, but then you were gone, and then I went for help, but then we… sort of got lost.” He winced.

“You… came in here by yourselves… to warn me?” She asked. “That’s… either exceptionally brave, or exceptionally stupid.” She smiled, but it was tired and not all that happy. “Thank you, either way.”

“Uh.” He flushed even darker. “I mean, it didn’t really do much good, so… there’s not much to thank me for.” He sighed. “All I did was get us stuck.”

“The effort was there, and it means a lot.” Sereda said. “What’s your name?”

“Min. Minehn, but… just Min.” He replied. She nodded.

“Sereda… although I suppose you already knew that.” She sighed. “I prefer Sara, if you don’t mind, though.” He hesitated, and then shrugged.

“Sure… Sara.” He tried, and she smiled, nodding. Then she turned to Nat.

“And yo… oh.” She blinked. “You’re the girl I fought earlier today… you won our fight.” She said. Nat was glaring at her fiercely.

“Yeah. I did.” She replied flatly. “For the record, coming down here wasn’t my idea.”

“I… see.” Sereda frowned again. “I know you must not like me much…”

“Really, now.” Nat replied flatly. Her arms were crossed and her eyes were narrowed, teeth gritted in her mouth. “Whatever gave you  _ that _ idea.”

“If it makes a difference,” Sereda said with a sigh, “I never liked how the casteless were treated. You  _ should _ have been allowed to win.”

“Right, because all my trouble starts at the proving.” Nat rolled her eyes. “Screw this. Where’s the way out,  _ my Lady?” _ She sneered. “Or, don’t make me guess, they sealed the doors to exile you, right? So we’re just  _ trapped _ here.”

“I…” Sereda started, but then sighed. A tear rolled down her face, and Min sort of felt like she needed a hug, but also… “You’re right. They sealed the doors. Our only chance is to leave with Duncan… and I doubt he’d take me.”

“Yeah. He doesn’t need a crybaby, stuck up princesses to come along, I bet.” Nat snapped. Min frowned.

“Uh… that’s… sort of uncalled for.” He said. “I mean… I think Duncan would take you, actually.” He turned to the dwarven woman, squinting at her in the gloom of the tunnels. “He… he was impressed, before, and I think if you weren’t the princess he’d already have offered you an invitation, but he knew that you wouldn’t have come, because… you know, the commander thing and all….”

“Yes, well, a lot of good that does me now.” She sighed. “Honestly, I never really wanted to be the commander. If…” she paused. “if I could do anything, it’d be to work with relationships between Orzammar and the surface dwarves. Father wouldn’t hear of it, though.”

“Oh, how unfortunate for you.” Nat muttered, and then turned away. “At least you  _ had _ a father.”

Sara frowned.

“I lost my mother, if you must know.” She said. “And, in case you haven’t heard, one of my brothers was murdered. The other betrayed me and got me exiled. My life was not as glorious as it was made out to be.”

“Don’t you even  _ start!” _ Nat snapped. “How  _ dare _ you say that!  _ Your _ life wasn’t glorious?  _ Please, _ say that again. I dare you.”

“G-guys, let’s not… uh-“

“Zip it, Min.” Nat snapped. “I really have nothing to say to either of you right now. I can’t believe this.” She sank to the ground again. “I could have stayed, run the Carta. I’d have made it pretty well. Instead I’m stuck here. Just  _ perfect.” _

“By the Maker!”

The three of them jumped at the sudden voice.

“Is that…  _ Min?” _

He turned, only to see Kat staring at him with a wide open mouth, Tish and Duncan close behind her.

“Kat.” He breathed a sigh of relief, and yes, his eyes might have welled with tears of relief.  _ “Nuvas ema ir'enastela _ . You found us. Nat, look, they found us!”

“I can see that.” The dwarf sighed in relief. “Thank the stone.” The two mages and the Warden ran up, confusion and shock on their faces.

“What are you  _ doing _ here, Min? And what… oh,  _ fuck. _ ” Kat finally caught sight of the princess. “Uh, pardon my language, but… what is going  _ on?” _

“Lady Aeducan?” Duncan asked in surprise. “What are you doing here alone? Where are your troops?” He asked. Sara sighed.

“I am ‘Lady Aeducan’ no more.” She said. “A lot has happened... I was exiled by the Assembly.”

“Ah.” His face fell. “You have been made to walk the Deep Roads, then.” He said, and she nodded. Kat’s jaw dropped and Tish frowned.

“You were exiled?” She asked. “Might I ask why?”

“Yeah, no kidding!” Kat demanded. “What the hell happened?”

“I do not think matters of dwarven honor our any business of ours.” Duncan cut them off before Sara could answer, and none of them missed the look of gratitude she sent the Warden. It was obvious she didn’t wish to speak of it just yet. “You need not answer, my friend.”

“Thank you.” She replied, her voice breaking again. “But it’s only fair they ask.” She sighed, and then looked to the mages. “I was betrayed by my brother.”

“Lord Trian?” Duncan asked in shock. She shook her head, wincing at her brother’s name.

“No.” her voice was soft. “Bhelen. Trian is dead… Bhelen killed him. They blamed me. Thus, here I am.”

“They can’t  _ do _ that!” Kat hissed angrily. “Maker, I’m really starting to hate this place.” She said, and Tish sighed in agreement but said nothing.

“So the intrigue of the Dwarven courts continues, then.” He said regretfully. “Your father intimated as much… I never imagined it would go so far, however.” He paused, and then said, “There is no reason you should walk the Deep Roads and die for something you did not do.”

“What?” Nat snapped, but he ignored her.

“You’ve already proven yourself both resourceful and skilled. I would expect nothing less from an Aeducan.” Sara blinked at him, confused. “I’ve been searching for those with your level of ability. Your exploits in the Deep Roads set you apart.”

“Thanks.” Kat muttered. Again, he ignored everyone but the princess.

“As leader of the Grey Wardens in Ferelden, I would like to formally invite you to join our order.” He finished.

_ ”What? _ ” Nat snapped again. “You can’t be serious.”

_ I told you. _ Min thought to himself, not that he’d ever say it aloud. Sara looked like she didn’t quite know what to say – Tish was nodding in approval, however, and Kat looked relieved, if not a bit unsurprised. He imagined much the same look was on his face.

After a moment, Sara nodded.

“I would be honored, Sir. Duncan.” She said. “Thank you. I owe you my life.”

“You owe me nothing, child.” The Warden replied. “The fight against the Darkspawn will more than pay back any debt.” He sighed, and then looked down the tunnel. “We must leave, now. We’ve spent enough time in Ostagar, and I imagine I’ve annoyed the higher classes quite a bit in the past few hours. I would hate to overstay my welcome.” He smiled at her, and she nodded.

“I know the way out, if you have a pass to get past the guards… although, I don’t know how I am supposed to leave.”

“I’ve got a way out.” Nat said. “if we can get to the entrance, I can find it. Min and I came in that way.” She didn’t sound happy to be offering, though. Duncan nodded.

“Good. Then let’s go – we should leave as soon as possible.”

“Right… follow me.” Sara said, and then turned and led them down the hallway. A few minutes later, the large door came into view.

Min truly could have cried, he was so happy to see it. His eyes might have welled up again. Slightly. Just a bit…

“You made it.” Kat smiled at him, nudging his arm. “We’re going to be fine, see?” He nodded.

“Yes. I… am just. Glad you found us. I thought…” he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now, I guess.”

“Duncan knew something.” Kat replied. “It wasn’t pure coincidence. He insisted we go that way… somehow he knew you were there.” She smiled. “We would have come back for you, anyways.”

He blinked.

“Really?”

“Min.” She rolled her eyes, and then laughed. “How can you even ask that? Of course we’d have come back. I’d have searched until we found you. I promise.” He stared at her. She looked at Tish. “Tell him I’m not lying.”

“She isn’t.” Tish smiled. “We would not leave you behind, Minehn. That is not how we treat friends.” Her smile was gentle. Warm.

Min’s heart swelled, and a tear slipped free.

“Th…thanks.” He muttered, flushing bright red. “I… uh. You’re my friends, too.” He said. “I’m… uh. Just… thank you.”

“Oh, owl.” Kat said, and then opened her arms. “Hug? Please?” he blinked.

Then he nodded, and her arms wrapped around it.

_ Why is it so warm? _

It was almost… motherly, the way her arms encircled his shoulders, rubbing his back comfortingly. He hadn’t felt this warm in… forever, really. It was.. it was…

“You’re stuck with us now, Minehn.” Kat said, pulling back with a smile. “Whether you like it or not.” He blinked, and then smiled himself.

“I… do. Like it. I’m glad.” He nodded. “Thank you… really.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She laughed. “Now go on. We’ll see you on the other side, alright? Just remember that.”

He looked at the smaller side tunnel – Nat was already marching towards it without waiting for the rest of them. He sighed, and then nodded.

“I will.” he promised. Then he looked to Sara. “Come on… She appears to be leaving us behind.” The small dwarf nodded, and together they set off after the angry girl. Kat watched him go, a small smile on her face, and Tish grabbed her arm.

“Let’s go.” She said. “We should be there when they get out.”

“I’m coming.” Kat said. “He’s a good kid. Min, I mean.” She said as they started walking. Tish smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Yes.” She said, looking in the direction he’d gone. “I know he is.”


	7. Orzammar to Highever

Getting out of Orzammar was not going to be as easy as they’d thought. For one, the King refused to see anyone, including Duncan, and had fallen ill – the loss of two of his children in one day had taken quite a hit. Sara longed to go and see him, but knew she couldn’t. Nat was as silent as the stone around them, refusing to speak to anyone. Tish, Min, and Kat didn’t know what to do with either dwarf, and the group couldn’t leave without speaking to the King.

In short, they were stuck at a standstill.

“This sucks.” Kat groaned.

“Yes.” Min agreed. “It… sort of really does.”

Tish sighed.

“It is not the most pleasurable experience.” She agreed. She glanced towards the bed; Sara was asleep, curled into a ball. She had been very polite, kind to them all, but she was haunted, and sadness lingered in her eyes at all times. “She is being strong, for our sake.” Tish said. “I wonder if Duncan looks for that trait in all his recruits.”

“What do you mean?” Kat frowned. The elf just shook her head.

“Nothing. Merely an observation.” She replied. Then she looked to Nat; the girl was in the next room over, sitting on the couch with a pad of paper and a pencil, drawing something. She’d been drawing all morning, but no one knew what.

“Riiiiight…. Well, whatever.” Kat said, stretching her arms above her head. “I can’t sit here any longer. Come on, Tish. We’re going shopping.”

“Shopping?” The elf asked, raising an eyebrow. Kat nodded.

“Yep. Shopping. Let’s go.” She stood, grabbing her bag with her coins. “Min? Wanna come along?” He flushed, and then shrugged.

“I… guess so?”

“Cool. Come on.” Then she marched across the room and opened the door without waiting for them. The two elves shared a glance, and Tish shrugged, smiling.

“Might as well.” She said. Min sighed.

They followed Kat out.

“So… why are we going shopping, again?” Min asked, frowning.

“Well, the way I see it,” Kat said, “both of them are going to need their own supplies, right? But they can’t just go out in the market – Nat’s an outlaw, and Sara is supposedly dead.”

“You make a fair point.” Tish said. “I don’t suppose you know what to get?” Kat shrugged.

“I know the basics, at least. Enough to get us to wherever we’re going next.”

“Amaranthine, I think.” Min supplied. “It’s… a ways away. Probably the longest journey we’ll have, besides the one from Denerim to Ostagar… uh, I think. I could remember wrong, though…”

“Nah, you’re probably right.” Kat sighed. “Both of them are going to need clothes that  _ aren’t _ armor, at the very least.” The two elves nodded.

They turned towards the market, filled with shouting salesmen and wandering dwarves. Kat sighed.

“Well, let’s get started.”

“Hey.”

Nat gritted her teeth, jerking so hard she nearly snapped her pencil lead.

“Go away.”

“No.” Sara replied, sitting on the couch across from her, hands folded in her lap and eyes set in determination. “I’m going to talk to you.”

“I’m not your  _ subject _ . You can’t command me anymore.”

“No. But there’s also not anywhere you can really run where you won’t hear me.” Sara replied, smiling gently. “I understand you hate me. But I think you should know some things first.”

“I don’t care.” Nat replied flatly, still refusing to look up at the princess. She kept drawing, lines swirling across the page beneath her. “Whatever excuses you offer, whatever reasons you have, I don’t care. Couldn’t give less of a crap.”

“So you hate me solely because of my class?” Sara asked, frowning. “And… the  _ reason _ you hate me, is because my class hates you, solely because of  _ your _ class?” She paused. “Does that not seem a bit hypocritical to you?”

“I don’t hate your class because they hate mine.” Nat finally snapped, her sea-green eyes lifting up to glare fiercely at the princess. “I hate them because of how they  _ treat _ mine. Because of what my neighbors had to go through, the things my friends and I had to endure simply because we were born. We did  _ nothing _ to you. Nothing to your father. My sister and I were  _ born _ into this, and we were never given a chance. Looked upon as dirt from the day we arrived.” She said, closing her journal and sitting up as her voice grew in volume. As she finished, she forced herself to quiet down, not wanting anyone in the halway to overhear, and instead just scoffed. “Now, do you have a reason for that?”

Sara hesitated, blue eyes uncertain for the first time that conversation.

“I… do not.” She finally admitted, looking down almost guiltily. “My father likes traditions… it’s been that way for a thousand years.”

“Ah yes, so then it  _ must _ be right.” Nat snorted, turning away once more, unable to look at her any longer because if she did she’d start screaming again. “You’re just like all the rest.”

“But I’m not!” Sara protested, shaking her head and sitting up straighter. “I never agreed with my father. It’s why he never would have let me take over for him. I’m too interested in the surface for his liking, too interested in  _ breaking _ the caste system!”

“Do you know how many people have said that?” Nat shrugged uncaringly. “It gets them elected by the Commoners, because they’re the biggest class. But then, guess what: the Assembly will never agree on that law. You know why?”

Sara sighed, already knowing where Nat was going - her and Gorrim had had very similar discussions many times before..

“Because it is made of Warrior and Noble class dwarves, I know.” She agreed grudgingly. “Which is why Lord Hemli and I were working on gaining support with them. We were going to try to change things… I guess that won’t happen now.”

“Of course not.” Nat shrugged. “You talk big, Princess, but you don’t have what it takes. If you were really  _ so passionate  _ about change, you wouldn’t give up so easily.” Her voice was thick with sarcasm, and Sara frowned, arms crossing.

“They exiled me and left me for dead. Everyone believes I am still trapped in the Deep Roads. Honestly, most of them probably think I am already gone. How am I supposed to change things if I am considered dead?”

“You’re a Warden now, aren’t you?” Nat replied, huffing. “Well, going to be. We all are, assuming we survive. If you don’t think that’s going to change things, if you don’t think they’re going to find out you’re not dead, then you’re wrong.” She finally looked up again, meeting the princess’s eyes, holding her gaze unblinkingly as she studied her. “Will it all shatter, then? Your perfect, Lady-like calm?”

Sara stared back, the intensity of the other dwarf’s gaze sending a chill down her spine. Nat was all angles and strength, and behind the messy hair and dirty clothing there was almost a sort of beauty in her fierceness. Sara swallowed, and then, without breaking eye contact, replied, “You think I am the perfect little doll my father wants me to be in public? Our fight should have taught you better.”

She watched as the other girl frowned, and felt a pleased shiver roll over her skin.

“I admit, I did not expect you to fight in your own Proving.” Nad admitted, but just like that the frown was gone and her air of confidence returned. “But all it did was prove to me how arrogant you were. Vain, too. Showing off. The event was  _ for _ you, but you just had to have a part of the glory, didn’t you?” She shook her head in disdain. “You fought well. And afterwards, your words were sweet. Really, they touched me.” She rolled her eyes, voice once again tilted with sarcasm. “But actions speak louder than words, princess.”

“I would have stopped them from taking you if I could.” Sara said quietly. “But it would only have made my father angry, and it wouldn’t have done any good. I don’t hold power over my father. They would not have listened.” Nat laughed, rolling her eyes.

“Ah, you  _ continue _ to miss my point. Cute.” She fixed the small dwarf in her sea-colored gaze. “You’re so ignorant that it kind of hurts me, deep down.”

There was a pause, during which the two girls simply watched each other warily from across the sitting area, waiting for the other to continue the argument. Finally Sara sighed, leaning back into the couch in disappointment. 

“You are very determined to hate me.” She commented. “I do believe that will make it rather hard to fight together, don’t you?”

“We’ll see, princess.” Nat replied, rolling her eyes and picking up her pencil again, examining the tip of it with a small frown. “Don’t get in my way, I’ll stay out of yours.”

“I have a better plan.” Sara said, a small, mischievous smile working its way onto her face. Nat glanced up, raised an eyebrow, and then looked back down, leafing through the pages of her journal to find where she’d been before.

“Really. I’m sure you do.” She replied flatly.

“Let’s go steal something.”

Nat froze, a page pinched between two of her fingers in mid-turn.

“Excuse me?”

“I am not as innocent as you seem to think. Nor am I a child.” Sara shrugged. “You think you’re the only one who’s had to do some dirty work, but you’re wrong. Perhaps I cannot compare to you, I will not argue that. But you’re judging me too quickly, and I am going to make you see, someday, that you are wrong about me.” Sara smiled. “That starts today. So, come on. We’re both supposedly dead and exiled anyways, right? Might as well have some fun. Besides, we’re going to need supplies, following the Wardens around.”

Nat finally relented, looking up to study the princess for a moment, mulling the idea over. Finally she started to nod, slowly, one eyebrow raising.

“Interesting….” She hummed. “And you’re not wrong about needing supplies.” She considered the plan for a moment longer, and finally nodded, fully setting her art supplies aside and pushing herself off the couch. “Fine. But don’t run behind me if we get caught, princess. I’m not a bodyguard.”

“Fair.” Sara smiled, standing as well and gesturing at the door. “Shall we go?”

“You’re not my boss.” Nat replied, shifting back into a glare. “I call the shots.”

“Fine.” Sara agreed. “I pledge my sword to your cause.” She grinned.

Nat gave her an odd look, and then scowled.

“Let’s just get this over with. I have a picture to finish before we leave.”

“Yes, My Lady.” Sara replied.

“Call me that again, you get an arrow in the eye.” Nat replied, sneaking out the door. “Don’t make a lot of noise, or we’ll get caught. Make sense?”

“I used to sneak into the kitchen to steal food in the middle of the night.” Sara replied, voice barely a whisper. She thought for a minute, and then grinned. “Then I had to sneak  _ out  _ of battle meetings, before the war lords could bore me and all my ancestors to death.” She added. Nat pointedly didn’t reply, and Sara shrugged. “And of course there’s the darkspawn training - they are not easy to sneak up on, trust me.” 

“Trust you?” Nat snorted, ducking behind a corner and rolling her eyes, but there might have been the barest hint of a smile on her face. “Princess, you ask the impossible.” she looked left, then right, and then nodded. “All clear. Let’s go.” 

“You’re kidding.”

“Guess we had the same idea?”

“Well, at least we won’t be short on supplies now.”

The five recruits stared at each other for a long moment, each group holding various clothes and bags of random supplies they’d acquired in the three hours they’d been gone.

Then they burst into laughter, hardly able to believe it. Well, Kat and Nat burst into laughter. Tish chuckled along with them – Sara was grinning, and Min was flushed but couldn’t help but smile.

Then the door opened and Duncan walked in.

He stared at all of them, the group of young adults that hadn’t even been able to look at each other or have a conversation when he’d left them that morning, now standing in a circle not only talking but  _ laughing _ .

“Who are you, and what have you done with my recruits?” he asked, a smile slowly sliding on his face as he gave an incredulous chuckle. The five of them looked at each other, and then shrugged.

“A bit of a coincidence and a touch of irony.” Sara shrugged, and then sighed. “Did you manage to meet with my father?”

“I did.” Duncan nodded. “We are free to leave, and will be doing so as soon as possible.”

“Best news I’ve heard all day.” Kat muttered, and Min silently agreed from behind her. Tish frowned, though.

“How are we going to get out?” She asked. Duncan shrugged.

“People won’t pay much attention to us.” He said. “A simple disguise should get us past any usual passersby, and I’m sure the guards at the front gate and be persuaded to turn the other way.” There was a glint in his eye. Tish sighed.

“Alright. One more thing… how are the two of you going to travel?” she turned to the dwarves. “We need more horses.”

“We’re too short for that.” Nat rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, I know a place we can get a pony or two.”

“Stealing  _ again _ , are we?” Sara raised an eyebrow.

“You didn’t have a problem with it earlier.” Nat reminded her, and the princess shrugged.

“I didn’t say I had a problem with it this time.” She replied.

"Riiiight..." Nat raised an eyebrow, and then grinned. "Well, what are we waiting for, then? Let's go steal a pony."

The surface was unlike anything Sara had ever seen. She'd HEARD of it, sure. But she never could have imagined it... Never knew a shade of blue like that existed.

"Is..." She breathed, blinking and shelling her eyes. "Is it always this bright?"

"Yeah, unless there's clouds. Or. Trees..." Min replied, but there was a smile on his face and for the first time since she's seen him he didn't look like a ghost. Her eyes were wide, taking in everything, absorbing it all at once and yet not believing what her eyes saw.

"It's so  _ blue _ ." She murmured. "And... By the stone, it's huge! I didn't... I had no  _ idea _ what we were missing down there. This is... This is..." She grinned, and then broke into a joyful laugh. "This is amazing!"

"You're way too easily amused." Nat rolled her eyes, but she too was staring at their surroundings with a glint of curiosity and wonder in her features. "It's just a landscape. There aren't even any trees."

"This area is mostly rock." Duncan agreed. "When we get closer to the docks, the grass will return."

"Grass?" Sara blinked. "You mean the green stuff that grows on the ground?"

"You've never seen grass before?" Min asked, eyes wide with shock. It was incomprehensible to him, how Sara could have lived her entire life not seeing the sky, or trees, or...

"Grass doesn't grow underground, buddy." Nat replied. "I've seen a few potted plants in noble's homes, but they die pretty fast. No sun, and all that."

"I can't believe I'm seeing this." Sara breathed, looking around. They were riding on their various mounts - Sara and Nat had successfully managed to grab two stable horses (from a wealthy noble who Nat had a vendetta against, and after hearing her stories the others didn't really feel bad about taking them - minus Min, who still wasn't quite sure about the dwarves in general) and were plodding along easily beside everyone else on their smaller ponies. Their bags were filled with the supplies they'd both... acquired, as well as some extra blankets for sleeping. It was only midday when they left Orzammar, however, and they had a long ride to Amaranthine that Duncan was anxious to get started on.

"So who exactly are we going to see now?" Kat asked. Duncan smiled.

"A noble who I have been good friends with for years. One of his children I have an interest in recruiting... James Cousland. Sir Cousland and his other son will be leading troops with King Calin, actually."

"Really..." Kat frowned, and Tish did too.

"If I may ask, why do you think he'd be interested in joining us?" She questioned. "It certainly sounds like he has a rather happy life where he is."

"James would be a huge asset to us." Duncan replied evasively. "It would be improper not to at least ask. A chance no matter how small is still a chance."

"So are you friends with everyone in Ferelden?" Nat asked. "King of Orzammar, some fancy noble..."

"Irving and Gregoir, too." Kat added. Duncan shrugged.

"We Wardens get around." He replied. "We do not only recruit during a Blight, but the need becomes more urgent. We still like to keep in touch with our allies."

"So they don't forget their treaties, right?" Kat asked, scoffing behind him. Whether or not he heard the note of mild disapproval in her voice they couldn't tell.

"That is part of it, yes." Duncan replied. "It also keeps our legend alive. Spreads the story of the Grey Wardens to the children, and all that."

"To keep them dreaming of joining you." Kat said flatly, no longer bothering to hide her stark disapproval. Duncan chuckled slightly.

"That is the idea, yes."

Kat glared at his back. Tish sighed and nudged her, but the mage just grunted in reply.

They rode for a while, occasionally striking up a small conversation or two, but for the most part it was silent save the animal's hooves on the ground. After the initial shock of the surface, Sara's questions began to slow until she ended up being the quietest of them all; Min looked over only to see the curious light had all but dropped from her eyes, replaced with a haunted sadness, and he frowned.

It was then that he remembered what happened to her, and suddenly he was amazed that she'd even had the clarity to be curious before - she doubtless was still in shock. Had she been shoving it aside this entire time, for the sake of the rest of them? Min wanted to help, somehow, but he didn't have a clue what to do. He looked over at Tish; she would know, right?

But she too was rather despondent, staring at something distance, and he looked the same way she was, and-

Oh.

The tower. It was barely visible from their distance, and it was likely only the two of them had the eyes to see it, out of everyone in their group. No doubt she was remembering her friends, and Jowan…

_ We’re a mess. _ He thought grudgingly. As he watched, however, she sighed and looked away from the tower; their eyes met, and she paused for a moment. He sent her a sympathetic glance, and a sad smile appeared on her face. She nodded at him, and then turned back to staring at the road ahead. He sighed.

_ Honestly it’s sort of ridiculous. _

_ Of everyone… _ He turned and looked at Nat,  _ she’s probably the okay-est. _ The dwarf still looked cross, resolutely not looking in Sara’s direction, but her shoulders were relaxed and her gaze still darted around in interest as the world moved past them. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around what it would be like to live underground his entire life, to never see the sun, or the sky, or a forest… or the stars. He looked at the tower again, and idly wondered how Ptol was fairing.

“So how long of a ride even is it to this place?” Kat asked. Ducan shrugged.

“Three, four days max.” he said. “We will be stopping in the same inn as last time when we reach the docks, and from there will head to a small trading post and camp there. After that, I’m afraid it will have to be solid ground for the next night or so – there are not many stops between here and our destination.”

“We’ll be going to the docks?” Kat asked, sitting up straighter, and Tish’s ears perked up a little in interest. Duncan sighed.

“I’m afraid we will not have the time to stop and see your friends. Nor do I think we would be welcome this soon after our departure… Still, I have sent a letter to Irving, when we left Orzammar. If he can meet us outside, then he will. I promise nothing, however.”

“You mean…” Kat blinked. “I might get to see Ameli?”

“I requested it, but I like I said, I can promise nothing.” He repeated. It didn’t stop the brilliant grin from spreading over Kat’s face, and even Tish smiled slightly in surprise.

“What are you guys talking about?” Nat asked, frowning. Kat sighed.

“I told you we were mages, right? Well, we came from the Circle Tower, obviously. My girlfriend is still there.”

“Oh, that’s so sad… I’m sorry, Kat.” Sara said, blinking. Kat sighed.

“It’s alright, now… besides, if I’d stayed they would have…” she broke off, shaking her head. “Anyways, I know I can be of use out here while this Blight is going on, but once it’s over I plan on going back.” Duncan opened his mouth, but she cut him off with, “Don’t even argue with me, Mr. Warden Sir. We had a deal, remember?” He paused, debating whether to argue, and then sighed in defeat.

“I will do my best to let it be so.” He said.

“Damn right.” Kat said, nodding in satisfaction. There was a moment of silence, and then she winced. “Uh… thanks, by the way. For writing to Irving, and all that.”

“It was no trouble.” Duncan said, smiling gently. “I understand leaving was not easy for you. I suppose sometimes I forget what it was like before I was a Warden. I too had duties that laid elsewhere, at first.”

“Oooo, and the plot thickens!” Nat’s eyebrows rose. He chuckled.

“I was not born a Warden, Natie.”

“Could have fooled me.” Kat commented, and he rolled his eyes.

“We all had lives before the Grey Wardens.” He said. “Some of us have darker history than others, had to leave more behind. Some of us were fortunate enough to make the decision ourselves. Once you are one of us, however, you  _ will _ feel it. The Wardens are all family to one another, bonded together in more ways that simple blood. Our cause is noble, and it draws every person who shares that cause into one body. As of now, to you all I am probably just a crazy, pushy old man riding a horse, but one day soon I hope you will understand, and do not judge me too greatly.” He chuckled, and for a moment the five young adults stared at each other in surprise. Then Nat nodded.

“Well, we’ll have to see, won’t we?” she shrugged. Duncan chuckled.

“That we will, Natie.” He said, turning to the road ahead once more. “That we will.”

“Ameli!”

Kat was running before her horse had come to a complete stop, sliding out of the saddle easily. The blond girl’s head turned at the sound of her girlfriend’s voice, and Ptol’s face lit in a brilliant smile when he caught sight of them. Duncan sighed, watching them, and offered a small wave to Irving; he, Greagoir, and two other Templars, along with Ptol and Ameli, were sitting on a bench not far from the docks, waiting for them.

“Kat,  _ Tish!” _ Ptol shouted and started to start forwards, but Greagoir’s hand on his shoulder stopped him, and for a moment he glared at the man over his shoulder. A moment later it didn’t matter, because the elf had dismounted and was walking towards him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as soon as possible. The rest of them came to a stop and dismounted, Duncan along with them. He looked around at his charges; Ptol had dragged Min over, and was talking excitedly about something, and the elf was flushed but smiling slightly. Kat and Ameli were…

Well, he gave them their privacy.

The two dwarves were standing on opposite sides of the small clearing, and while Nat’s eyebrow was raised in interest, Sara just looked despondently disinterested, but she had a small smile on her face. Duncan knew that, as royalty, she was used to covering up her emotions for the good of Orzammar; he also knew that the entire ride there she’d been doing much the same thing, for the sake of those in their group, and sighed.

_ I am glad I am not a dwarf. _ He thought to himself. A moment later, Ptol caught sight of the two of them, and gasped.

Duncan was half certain his eyes were going to pop right out of his head.

He smiled, watching as the small elf bounded over to them, dragging both his companions behind him, and then proceeded to talk far too fast for him to understand. He chuckled, and then turned to Irving.

“Thank you for doing this, my friend.” He said.

“Don’t ask me  _ why _ I agreed.” Greagoir muttered, glaring at the small group. Irving rolled his eyes.

“It was no trouble, Duncan.” The First Enchanter said, cutting off Greagoir’s note of protest with, “And how were your adventures? I see you have several new recruits.” He nodded over at the dwarves, and Duncan sighed.

“That, my friend, is a long story.” He nodded at the tavern. “Perhaps you’d like to join me for a drink?”

“Only if  _ you _ pay.” Greagoir muttered, and Duncan smiled.

“But of course.” He replied, and the Commander huffed. He glanced at the group again hesitantly, and Irving rolled his eyes.

“I am sure Carroll and Cullen can handle the mages, Gregoir.” Irving rolled his eyes. The Commander’s glare shifted to him, and then with another grunt, he marched towards the Spoiled Princess. Duncan and Irving grinned at each other, and the former of the two shrugged. Then they followed him in, chuckling with each other as they went.

“What’s it like in Orzammar? Is it really dark? Do people  _ really _ think they’ll fall into the sky? Are there any plants? Oh, and you mine lyrium, don’t you!” Ptol’s furious flurry of questions washed straight over Nat’s head, and she frowned, looking towards Tish helplessly. The elf hid a fond smile behind her hand and shrugged. Then Carroll, one of the Templars charged with watching them, cut in with, “Lyrium?  _ All _ lyrium?” Nat shrugged.

“I guess so?” She said. “It’s got to come from somewhere, and you humans certainly don’t know how to do it.”

“Do you have an-“

“Carroll.” Cullen snapped disapprovingly, and the first Templar’s mouth shut, an embarrassed flush tinting his cheeks.

“Sorry, sorry.” He apologized. “Ignore me.” Cullen sighed, and then turned to the dwarf.

“Forgive us. I’m Cullen, and this is Carroll.” He nudged his coworker forwards, and the other man jumped.

“Oh, uh, right! That’s me.” He said. Sara smiled at him gently and nodded.

“I am Sereda Aeudcan. It’s nice to meet you.” Nat raised an eyebrow.

“Mhmm. I guess so.”

Sara sent her a small frown, and Nat glared back. Then the taller dwarf turned back to the Templars and said, “I’m Nat.”

“Hello.” Cullen said pleasantly. He looked around. “There’s quite a few of you… are you  _ all _ going to be Wardens?”

“That’s the plan.” Nat nodded.

_ ”Damn.” _ Carroll said suddenly, and they all frowned, looking at him, only to realize his eyes were focused elsewhere. Nat turned to see what it was, and then grinned. Tish and Sara smiled; Min and Cullen both promptly turned into tomatoes.

Ameli and Kat were kissing a ways a way, and the blond girl had tear streaks on her face, which Kat was wiping at with her thumb.

“Aww.” Sara murmured.

“Nice.” Nat agreed.

“G-guys!” Cullen protested. “Don’t…  _ stare. _ ”

“But they’re  _ mages. _ ” Carroll replied, grinning. “It’s our  _ job _ to wat-“

Nat promptly stepped on his foot, the heel of her boot crunching into the top of his shoe. He howled in pain and stumbled backwards, grabbing onto Cullen for support. Cullen sighed. He didn’t shove him off, but he didn’t exactly go to help either.

“Wh-what was  _ that?” _ Carroll demanded. Nat shrugged.

“Thought I saw a spider.” She replied easily. Sara was staring at her, face unreadable, but the others all looked mildly approving, and she smiled innocently.

Cullen just sighed. Again.

“Right…” he muttered.

“No one ever answered my questions.” Ptol said finally, and Nat blinked. She’d almost forgotten the small elf was there.

“That’s because I missed most of them.” She replied, and he laughed sheepishly.

“Sorry.” He replied. “I just get excited, is all. I’ve never met a dwarf before. No dwarves in the towers, you know.” He blinked, and then said, “but seriously; what  _ is _ it like in Orzammar?”

They all laughed, and then Nat sighed.

“Well…”

It was long past nightfall when the small group from the tower had to head back; Irving tried to convince Greagoir to let them stay the night in the inn, but Greagoir refused on the account of Ptol not yet being through his Harrowing, and as such not having a Phylactery.

“Ptol is one of my most trustworthy acolytes.” Irving protested, but Greagoir just shook his head.

“We are already breaking rules by him even being out at all, Irving.” He snapped. “I will not bend on this.”

And so, eventually they all stood on the docks together, wishing each other farewell once again. Ameli was no longer crying, but although she was smiling, everyone could still see the pain in her eyes. Both her and Kat looked far calmer than they had the first time, at least. Tish hoped they’d gotten the chance to talk things out. At least they’d gotten to see each other again before heading to Ostagar.

Ptol went around and hugged everyone, even the dwarves. He always seemed to be friends with everyone instantly, somehow. Nat grinned, pulling him in and ruffling his hair – he was honestly only a few inches taller than she was. Kat knelt down and hugged him tight, and then laughed as he nearly squeezed all the air out of her lungs. Tish’s embrace was far gentler, but she did not refuse it; Ptol’s face barely came up to her chin, and she rested her head atop his golden curls for a moment when he buried his forehead in her neck. When he got to Min, he hesitated, and then opened his arms questioningly. The elf flushed. Then he gingerly went to hug the smaller boy – Ptol, once given permission, grinned, and wrapped his arms tightly around Min’s midsection, making him promise to write letters. Then he turned to Sara. She smiled at him gently, and he blinked.

Then he smiled back.

“I hope you feel better, someday.” He said, without explanation. Her eyes widened, and for a moment she gaped soundlessly. He tilted his head slightly and opened his arms. “Hug?” he asked. She just stared at him, and he smiled again, walking forwards and gently putting his arms around her shoulders. “It’ll be okay, you’ll see.” He promised. Her eyes welled for a moment, and then she hugged him back.

She wasn’t quite sure how he’d known something was wrong, but somehow it felt good and hurt worse all at the same time.

“Thank you.” She replied, and he pulled back, nodding, that same gentle smile in place.

“Ptol, come on.” Ameli said with a sigh. “It’s time for us to go.” He nodded, and reluctantly turned and walked towards the boat, waving as he did so. Everyone waved back, and Ameli smiled. Then she looked around. “It was nice to meet you all.” Her eyes lingered on Kat a minute, and she started to say something, but then decided against it. “I hope to see every one of you again someday.” She smiled at Tish and Min. “Good luck. Stay safe, alright? And take care of Kat for me.”

“Oh, come on.” Kat laughed. “We all know it’ll be me taking care of them.”

“We’ll see about that.” Nat replied. Ameli chuckled, and behind her, Greagoir and Irving boarded the boat. She started to turn, but then hesitated.

Kat sighed.

Then she stepped forwards and pulled her into a hug, pressing a kiss against her forehead. Min flushed bright pink, and the others smiled sadly.

“I promised I’ll be back.” she said. “I keep my promises.”

“I know.” Ameli whispered, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Kat wiped it away again, smiling gently.

“Lady Ameli, it is time to go!” Irving called. Kat glared at him a moment over her girlfriend’s head, and then sighed, releasing her.

“I’ll see you soon!” she promised as Ameli began to walk away.

“You’d better.” Ameli replied with a little chuckle, and then got aboard the ship. Then Carroll began to follow her; Cullen, meanwhile, turned to Tish, a blush unmistakable on his face. Nat’s eyebrows raised, and Sara had to hide a smile behind her hand.

“It… um, it was nice seeing you again.” He mumbled. She smiled kindly.

“You too, Cullen.” She said politely. His eyes widened and he looked away, pink tint only growing darker, and nodded.

“Um. Right. Uh…” he hesitated. “Be careful, won’t you?”

“I will.” She said.

“Good. That’s… that’s good.” He nodded firmly, and then, without saying anything else, turned on his heel and marched to the boat, face burning. Nat grinned, unable to help the chuckle that slipped out. Tish glanced at her, and then sighed, offering a little shrug.

Min frowned between them, confused.

A few moments later, the group had pushed off from shore, and Kester began rowing them back to the tower. Ptol was waving aggressively, hand flapping like a wing in the air above his head, and Tish chuckled, shaking her head at him. They all waved back, in varying degrees of enthusiasm; then, suddenly, Kat stepped forwards and shouted, “I LOVE YOU!!” across the waves. Min jumped and Tish sighed, and Sara and Nat grinned at her. Tish and Min could see Ameli’s blush as the boat got smaller and smaller.

They could also see the tears rolling down her face, as well as the small smile under them. She lifted her hands in the air and made a heart; Kat returned the motion.

And then, just like that, they were gone.

The next morning they woke up early, prepared to set off for Amaranthine. Duncan paid for their rooms and the stables for their horses; they ate breakfast, and then gathered outside. Kat began going through a checklist for everyone, making sure they had all they would need for the long ride there, that they still had the supplies they’d brought with them, and Duncan nodded along with her. Then suddenly he paused.

“Kat? Tish?” He said, calling the two mages. They turned to him, and he beckoned them closer with a smile.

“Yeah?” Kat asked, frowning. He chuckled.

“I almost forgot to tell you! I have some gifts from the First Enchanter for the two of you.” Kat frowned. Tish did to, although hers wasn’t near as noticeable – just a little twitch of her eyebrow. “Wait, it’s here somewhere…” Duncan reached into the large side pocket in his robes, frowning, and then pulled out a small leather-bound book. “Ah! Here.” He held it out towards the elf. “Atisha’len, this is for you. He said it should assist you greatly on your adventures with the darkspawn.” She took it, ghosting her hand over the worn cover. Then he reached back into his pocket, searching for a second before drawing out a thin sheet of what looked almost like glass. It was about four inches across and six tall, with a simple golden frame covering the outside edge. “For you.” He held it towards Kat.

She stared at it.

“That’s not what I think it is, is it?” She asked slowly. His eyes sparkled.

“Perhaps you would like to find out?” he asked. She licked suddenly dry lips, and then placed one hand on the bottom surface of the glass and closed her eyes, murmuring a spell under her breath.

A moment later, the surface of the mirror shimmered, and then she was peering into the First Enchanter’s office. He was sitting in his desk, but looked up at her squeal of surprise. Then his face broke into a smile.

“Kaite!” he said. “I’m so glad the mirror works. I trust it will help manage to calm your nerves some?”

“Yes… yes, of course. Thank you, Irving.” She said. “Thank you  _ so much.” _ He smiled at her, and nodded his head.

“It is no problem, my dear.” He said.

“Does Greagoir know?” she asked, and he shrugged.

“I mentioned it to him.” he said. “He didn’t  _ disagree _ , specifically. He said as long as I was in the room there weren’t any rules against it, amongst other things.” Kat grinned.

“Seriously. Thank you.” She repeated, and he nodded his head.

“Ameli and the others are still asleep, but I shall bring her here around noon, shall we say?” he offered, and she nodded enthusiastically.

“Sounds perfect.” She said. “I can’t believe this is… Maker bless you, Irving, seriously.” He chuckled, shaking his head.

“Be safe, Kaite.” He said. “I will see you again at noon.”

“Bye, Irving. I owe you.” She said, and he smiled at her again once more before the connection dissolved and his office faded away.

Kat looked up to see all the others staring at her, minus Duncan, who’d wandered over to the horses again. She couldn’t pull the smile off her face if she wanted to, and just stood there grinning at them all.

“Congratulations, Kat.” Sara said gently, and Kat nodded.

“So that’s… wow.” Nat raised her eyebrows. “I mean, we can use pipes and tunnels sometimes to talk over long distances, but… wow.” Kat grinned.

“Magic can be great, sometimes.” She said.

“No kidding.” The dwarf replied. Then Kat turned to Tish.

“So what’s the book?” She asked. Tish was flipping through the first few pages, her blue eyes scanning the words written there.

“Spells.” She said. “Rare ones they don’t teach us in the Tower…”

“Really?” Kat raised her eyebrows, and then grinned. “That Irving… no way Greagoir agreed to any of this.” Tish looked up and laughed.

“You’re probably right.” She said. “But he is not a horrible person, Kat.”

“I know.” Kat agreed.

“So, are we ready to head off, now?” Duncan asked, walking back to them. They looked around; Min flushed when all eyes landed on him, and he blinked.

“Wh-what?” he asked. Tish smiled, and patted his arm.

“We’re ready.” She replied, and he frowned in confusion, not quite understanding what’d just happened. She didn’t offer an explanation, instead just nodding towards the animals with another small smile.

It wasn’t long after that they began on their way to Amaranthine, the tower growing smaller and smaller in the distance, Orzammar far behind them and the sprawling green grasslands ahead. Kat slipped the mirror in her pocket, keeping it close; Tish propped the book open on the saddle and read as she rode, brow furrowed in concentration. Min wasn’t entirely sure how she managed to keep the horse going in a straight line, but she did. Sara had returned to her silence, but looked at least slightly better than she had the day before. Meanwhile, Nat was looking around at the grass, the trees, everything around them, eyes sparked with interest at all the life and color.

Duncan looked at his charges, and smiled.

_ They will do nicely. _ He thought.  _ I think Ferelden will be in very good hands. _


	8. Cousland

Three days later, they arrived in Amaranthine. Or, more specifically, they arrived at the Cousland manor, and were almost immediately swarmed by servants and led into the main hall – Two older men were standing there talking, dressed in fancy clothes with fancy boots on their feet in a fancy room draped in red and gold, and honestly Nat was just  _ so done _ with nobles.

The men caught sight of them soon enough, and one of them broke into a smile, waving them over.

“Duncan!” he said. “I am glad you made it safely.” The Warden smiled.

“It is an honor to be in your hall, Teyrn Cousland.” He said. The man smiled and shook his hand; the other man, however, frowned.

“Your lordship, you… didn’t mention a Grey Warden would be present.” He said. Nat frowned at him. There was something  _ shifty _ about him that she just… didn’t like.

Then again, there were few nobles she liked. Actually, there were none at all, so.

“Duncan arrived just recently.” The Teyrn said, brow creasing. “Is there a problem?”

“Of course not!” the man said, coughing as he did so, and Nat’s eyes narrowed father. “A guest of this stature demands certain protocol… I am at a disadvantage!” The man continued, chuckling slightly. She looked around at the others to see if they noticed anything; Min was busy staring with wide eyes at the extravagant fixtures, and Tish was watching Sara with a small frown – a quick glance revealed the  _ princess _ was pale, looking sort of sick to her stomach, and Nat scoffed.  _ As if she has a right. _

Then her eyes met Kat’s. The mage was frowning too, and Nat sighed. At least she wasn’t the only one. Duncan either didn’t notice or didn’t care, however, a pleasant smile still on his face.

“I was wondering if James was going to be joining us?” Duncan said. “Your stories have got me quite intrigued, I must admit… I have been anxious to meet him.”

Then the door opened, and a moment later a new figure stalked up, with sharp eyes and thin eyebrows and slightly ridiculously long brown hair sweeping down her back, easily passing her hips. She stopped right in front of them, and raised one of her perfectly trimmed eyebrows at the Warden.

“Her.” She said flatly. “You’ve been anxious to meet  _ her.” _

Duncan, for once, seemed speechless. Nat’s eyes widened, looking the girl over. She was tall, and muscular, but if she hadn’t known better, perhaps she wouldn’t have noticed. She certainly passed very easily.

She also looked even more regal than the older men had, though, with a long, sweeping skirt that reached the ground, made of a thick, expensive fabric dark gold in color. Her top's neckline was wide but still fairly high, baring her collarbones and nothing else. Delicate embroidery and beadwork, bright gold against the red of the shirt, edged the collar and the ends of the sleeves, which were long, fell to her wrists where a series of golden bracelets peeked out. A translucent, dark red shawl was laid across her shoulders as well, sweeping behind her on the floor as she walked.

She also had jewelry in her face. Yes,  _ in _ it. Appearing to be all from the same set, each piece consisted of a small red ruby and a golden hoop; there was a ring through her lip, and one on the left side of her nose, and a third hooking through her eyebrow.

If she wasn’t a noble, Nat  _ might _ have thought it looked sort of cool, honestly, but the way she stood, like some self-important, all-entitled…  _ brat, _ well…

Yeah, she  _ really _ hoped they didn’t recruit her - one arrogant noble was more than enough, and this one looked even more entitled than the Princess herself, if that was possible.

“I… My apologies, Lady Cousland.” Duncan bowed his head. Behind him, Kat looked like she was about to blow a fuse, glaring at his back with such anger Nat wasn’t entirely certain he wouldn’t just burst into flame. The girl  _ was _ a mage, after all, right?

“Rayne!” The Teyrn said brightly. “I’m glad you could join us. This is Duncan, of the Grey Wardens, and I assume these are your recruits?” He asked, and Duncan nodded.

“Yes, they are.” He said, stepping back. “They come from all across Ferelden, to join in the fight against the Blight.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kat.” The mage said, stepping forwards and offering her hand. Rayne nodded and shook it.

“Rayne Cousland.” She said, and turned to the others. “And you…?”

“Atisha’len.” The elf said. “This is Minehn, and Sereda, and Natie.” She motioned to each of them in turn. Min flushed, but nodded a little hello, and Sara offered a polite smile.

Nat did her best not to glare; she wasn’t sure she did a very good job, though. Rayne just raised an eyebrow at her, but didn’t comment.

“Well, it’s good to see there are so many of you.” The Teyrn said. “From what I understood, Warden recruits were not so common as this.”

“It’s been a rare and rather fortuitous adventure.” Duncan agreed. Nat scoffed silently behind him.

_ Ha, fortuitous my ass. Has he SEEN us lately?  _ she thought, looking around. Kat was frowning at the Warden again, and Min was too, for once, but Tish just sighed.

Sara continued to look ill. Hmph.

“I’m glad to hear that.” The Teyrn said. “Pup, Brother Aldous taught you who the Grey Wardens are, I hope?” He said, turning to his daughter. Rayne frowned slightly, but nodded.

“They’re an order of great warriors, who defeated the darkspawn long ago.” She said. “Or at least that’s what I was told.”

“That is true, but our victory was not permanent, I fear.” He sighed.

“Without their warning of the darkspawn rising now, half the nation could have been overrun before we’d had a chance to react.” Her father said appraisingly, and Duncan dipped his head in thanks. The Teyrn smiled, and then said, “Duncan is looking for recruits before joining us and his fellow Wardens in the south. I believe he’s got his eye on Sir Gilmore.” He said.

Nat frowned, and, looking at the others, they appeared to be just as confused as she was. Duncan had never mentioned a Gilmore, only the girl standing there. She narrowed her eyes.

Duncan, however, simply nodded his head innocently.

“That is true, yes.” He said, and then, after a pause, “if I might be so bold, I would suggest that your… daughter, is also an excellent candidate.”

_ There it is. _ Nat thought, rolling her eyes. Kat’s fist clenched for a moment, but relaxed when Tish nudged her, and Rayne frowned slightly.

“Honor though that might be,” the Teyrn said before she could respond, stepping in front of her slightly, “this is my daughter we’re talking about. “ Rayne frown turned into an exasperated eye roll, and she pointedly stepped out from her father’s shadow.

“Worry not, Father.” She said. “I’ve no interest in joining the Grey Wardens. I am honored by the thought, Sir Duncan, but I’m afraid I must refuse.”

“You  _ did _ just finish saying how the Grey Wardens were heroes.” The other man, the one who’d been conversing with the Teryn when they’d entered, said casually, and the Teyrn frowned.

“I do not have so many children that I’ll gladly see them all off to battle, Arl Howe.” He said firmly to his companion, and then turned a questioning eyebrow back to Duncan. “Unless you intend to invoke the right of conscription…?” There was a warning note in his voice, and Nat frowned. She hadn’t heard of  _ that, _ either.

Duncan just shook his head.

“Have no fear.” He said. “while we need as many good recruits as we can find, I’ve no intention of forcing the issue.”

Nat scoffed, this time aloud, but hid it behind a cough. Kat glanced at her and offered a small sigh, but Tish and Min both frowned at her. Rayne’s surprisingly light brown eyes shot to her, and again that perfect eyebrow raised questioningly.

Nat just shrugged.

The men either didn’t hear or didn’t care, though, and the Teyrn turned to his daughter again. Her eyes turned away from them to focus on her father, and he said, “Pup, can you ensure that Duncan’s requests are met while I am gone?” she nodded.

“Of course.” She said, and he smiled at her.

“In the meantime, find Fergus and tell him to lead the troops to Ostagar ahead of me, will you?” She frowned.

“I have something I wish to discuss with you, father.” She said.

“We can talk before I leave tomorrow, Rayne.” He said. “I must discuss battle plans in the south now, while I have the chance. Now be a good lass, and do as I’ve asked, won’t you, please?” She sighed, and then nodded.

“Alright.” She said. “While I’m at it, would you like me to find somewhere for our guests to stay?” she frowned slightly. “I must check with mother, but I am not certain we will have enough rooms here… perhaps the inn would be more comfortable, the one down the street?” The Teyrn paused, looking at the copious amount of young adults in his hall, and then nodded.

“Yes, if you would.” He replied. Then he turned to them. “If you’ll please follow my daughter, she will get you situated.”

“Thank you, Teyrn Cousland.” Tish said with a slight bow of her head.

“Well, let’s get going, then.” Rayne said, and turned to go. The Warden Recruits shared glances, and then shrugged and began to follow her.

It was… almost awkwardly silent, for a while, the group trooping along behind the girl along the cobblestone path. Min looked around with curious eyes, but… honestly, he missed grass. The rocks felt strange under his feet, oddly smooth and sort of… cold, at least in the shadows of the buildings.

Which were weird by themselves too, honestly. Having all this stone around him… it wasn’t a cave, but it was close enough to make him uncomfortable. He just hoped the inn they were heading too would be more in the open than this place.

Meanwhile, Tish was watching Sara carefully – she seemed alert enough, nodding when people spoke to her, giving polite smiles and little bobs of her head, but there was something wrong, still. Of course that was to be expected, but she knew better than anyone that Sara’s pushing away all her emotions was just going to lead to worse things later on, and with as much trouble as their group tended to get into she knew they needed to resolve things sooner rather than later. Her eyes slid to Min – he looked uncomfortable, shying away from the shadows of the buildings. She hadn’t quite pieced together everything yet, but she had more an idea than he probably knew…

She sighed. Then he felt Kat nudge her shoulder; she looked at the older girl questioningly. Kat nodded over to Nat, who was eyeing the merchant tables they were passing with a weird glint in her expression. Tish frowned.

Then she casually slid over to the dwarf.

“It’s very nice of them to let us remain as guests here,” she said simply. “Don’t you think, Natie?” the dwarf blinked, looking up at her.

“What?” Nat asked flatly. Tish raised an eyebrow; the dwarf scowled. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m behaving, alright?”

“This is in the inn.” Rayne said, stopping suddenly. “My father will pay for the cost of your rooms.”

“This is an inn?” Kat gasped, staring up, up, up at the three-story stone building before them. “It looks like a castle.”

“It used to be.” Rayne shrugged, glancing at it with disinterest. It stretched deep into the town, with chiseled pillars holding up the peak over the grand entryway. “Then it became  _ too small.” _

The statement was made so flatly that Tish almost missed the fact that the girl was joking. She blinked in surprise; Rayne met her eyes, giving a smirk.

“At least one of you got it.” She said, sounding somewhat bored. “I’ve got to go find my brother now – make yourselves comfortable.”

“Perhaps you’d like to join us later for lunch?” Tish asked suddenly, surprising all of them. Nat scowled, and Min frowned in confusion. Rayne raised an eyebrow.

“Perhaps tomorrow.” She said with a shrug, but there was a glint in her eyes that showed Tish she was amused. Tish gave a polite smile.

“I look forward to seeing what will happen, then.” She said. Rayne just looked at her a moment longer, and then walked away, skirt sweeping along the cobblestones as she went. They paused; then Kat said, “What was that about?”

“We know Duncan is looking at her for a recruit.” She shrugged. “Might as well get to know her before all hell breaks loose, as its bound to do.”

“I wish I could argue.” Kat sighed. Nat raised an eyebrow.

“Just what have you all done together? You met each other, what, a few weeks ago?” Kat smiled, although there was more sadness in the expression than anything, and walked up the steps of the inn.

“You’d be surprised.” She replied, knocking on the door. After that they were ushered inside and then led to the ward of what had been the castle – a long sprawling hallway with cots that were separated by curtains laid out before them, somewhere close to ten beds held within.

“This area is yours.” The maid said with a small smile. “The Teryn sent a message ahead, telling us to block it off for you. No one else will be in here while you stay.”

“Thank you.” Tish said gratefully. The woman nodded politely back and then said, “If there’s anything else you need, ring the bell.” She motioned to a small bell connected to a string over the door. Then she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

“Everyone pick a bed.” Kat shrugged.

She and Tish ended up closest to the door, right next to each other – Min ended up directly across from them. Sara smiled at him as she set her bag down on the bed to the left of his, and he flushed; Nat grumbled and took the bed to the left of Kat.

“I suppose Duncan is staying in the Teryn’s estate.” Sara said thoughtfully.

“That’s what I was led to believe.” Tish agreed. “I think he would rather us stay out of the way this time, after as much as we interfered with you two.” 

Kat snorted. “Good thing we did.” She said smugly. “That Duncan… there’s something about him I don’t like.” She shook her head. “He only seems to want to recruit people who don’t have the option of saying no.” She hummed. “Rayne didn’t seem the least bit interested when he brought it up – Maker knows he’s probably going to sneak about and find a way to get her to say yes somehow.”

“He needs recruits to fight a war.” Tish reminded her. “And while the Wardens are fabled warriors whom most respect, not many are willing to live their lives – and those that are, are dreamers most likely not cut out to be Wardens in the first place.”

“That doesn’t make it okay.” Kat protested.

“With his methods, he’s gotten five very good, intelligent warriors on his side.” Tish shrugged. “Given an option – without our extenuating circumstances, of course, how many of us would have still come?”

That was met with silence.

“I would have.” Nat said, suddenly jumping into the conversation. “If I knew Rica was going to be okay, I’d have left Orzammar long ago. Now that she’s… being provided for,” Nat made a face, and something dark momentarily flashed in her eyes, “I’m not stuck there – and being a Warden is a great excuse to leave.” She paused. “Besides, the Wardens don’t discriminate between who they take – and they fight for  _ everyone’s  _ sake.” She shrugged. “It’d be hard to find a better option, as far as I’m concerned.”

“I wouldn’t.” Kat sighed. “I know, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t have left my students, and Ptol and…” She glanced at her bag where the enchanted mirror rested, “…and Ameli.”

“I… was happy? In my clan.” Min agreed, doing his best to push down the mild panic that threatened to flood his mind whenever he thought about… how it all started. “If there’d… uh, yeah. I’d… I’d have stayed, if I could.”  _ If there’d been another way… _

“I would have stayed in Orzammar to help my people.” Sara sighed, looking away, knees pulled into her chest as she sat on the bed, chin resting on her arms. “I was… hoping, someday, to be the Ambassador to the Surface, to try to open Orzammar’s gates and help my people expand, and… grow past just their old traditions.” Nat scoffed under her breath; Sara’s eyes found hers. The princess pursed her lips thoughtfully.

“Are you going to do that every time I speak?” She asked, and it didn’t sound angry, more just curious. Nat shrugged.

“When you say bullshit like that, yeah.” She replied.

“Um…” Min reddened.

“And how do you know it’s bullshit?” Sara countered. “Tell me this – did you ever hear of me in the streets?” Nat frowned.

“Not much.” She replied, uncertain where the question was leading.

“And yet you heard of Behlen and Trian loads, did you not?” Sara prompted again.

“Guys-“ Kat sighed.

“No.” Sara cut her off. “I’m proving a point. You heard of Behlen and Trian because they were the princes my father approved of – they fit into their place, and they treated your class like dirt.” Sara said flatly. “My father did not speak of me, nor did the people, because I was not the princess my father wished I was. I was disliked by the council and often times asked to leave because I would fight them on their policies, and push for the surface. No one in my own class liked me much… I had friends in the common class, though – many of the merchants.” Sara sighed. “Point being, I am  _ not _ who you are trying to see me as. That’s not to say we will get along, Natie, but I would appreciate it if you would try to take me as I am rather than force everything that I do into the evil self-conceited mold of me you have in your head.” She looked up again, and when she did Nat’s eyes had widened slightly in surprise; for the first time the dwarf wasn’t looking at her with total hatred in her gaze. “I fought in the Proving because I was  _ proving a point  _ to my father. That we nobles are  _ not _ paragons and we should not be  _ above _ everyone else, but  _ among _ them. We are  _ dwarves,  _ not just nobles or commoners or casteless.” She rolled her eyes. “In a recent meeting, councilor Bethuay questioned my authority to speak on the council, asking if I was even a true noble. I told her that if being a noble meant being like her, then no, I wasn’t a noble – she asked me what I was, then, and I said ‘a dwarf’ and walked out of the room to get my armor for the Proving.”

Kat was grinning in approval by this point, and Min’s eyes were wide with shock. Even Tish had a small smile on her face. There was a long pause; Nat swallowed.

Then she shook her head.

“I’d love to believe that, princess.” She said, not sounding as harsh as before – just more sad. “Maybe you’re not as bad as them – so far you’ve been alright, I’ll give you that.” She sighed. “But sooner or later, you’ll see. You’re a noble, and you can’t change that.” Then she turned away, back to them all, and fell silent. Sara, for the first time, looked actually shocked, the usual mask of easy calm on her face breaking to one of hurt surprise. Kat frowned angrily.

“Natie-“

“It’s fine, Kat.” Sara said, her cover slipping back into place. “I’m feeling somewhat tired. I think I’m going to take a nap, until dinner. Will you wake me?”

“Of course.” Tish replied. Min frowned at Nat’s back, and then glanced at Sara as she laid down, not even bothering to get under the covers of the bed. Then his eyes met Tish’s; her expression was hard to read, but if he had to pick an emotion it would probably have just been... sad. He hesitated; she noticed him looking and then slipped into a gentle smile, beckoning him over. Flushing, he crossed the room and sat gingerly on the edge of her bed.

“How are you feeling?” She asked.

“I’m… okay.” He replied. “I miss… the forest. I miss home.” He admitted after a pause. He looked back at the two dwarves. “Are they…”

“They’re going to be just fine.” Tish said. “It will take some getting used to, I imagine, but things like this…” She shrugged. “They have a way of working out.”

“If you say so.” Kat muttered, joining in their conversation, sitting down heavily on the bed. “I think we’ll be lucky if they don’t try to battle again before getting to Ostagar.”

There was a pause. Min hesitated, and then said, “So, um, why did you ask if we would have come?” Tish’s eyes widened slightly. “I mean, if… we’re going to be fighting together, it seems like we’d… not want to think about what we left?”

“On the contrary.” She shrugged. “Perhaps thinking about why we left, and what we’ve lost, is what will push us together.” She nodded to the dwarves. “Even that brief argument accomplished more than the entire three-day ride here.”

“I guess.” Min replied quietly, realizing she was right. There was a pause. “You told me before you would have come anyways…” He swallowed, and Kat frowned, looking at her in surprise.

“You did?” She said.

“Mmm. Yes, when you were asleep after drinking half the bar.” Tish teased. She shifted slightly, and nodded. “But yes, I would still have come, I think, even if circumstance had not forced my hand.”

“What about the rest of us?” Kat said, not angry. Tish smiled.

“They’d have had you to take care of them.” She said. “Besides, your influence has already changed the Circle – surely you realize that.” She shrugged. “I’ve no doubt Ptol and Ameli have continued the training of the apprentices – even if Ptol himself doesn’t understand why yet, as soon as he gets to the Harrowing he will, just as I did, and as all others will after him.” Kat flushed.

“I… didn’t really think about that.” She said. “I just wanted to keep them safe.”

“Exactly.” Tish smiled. “And that’s what I want to do, too.” She paused. “I want to protect those who cannot protect themselves, as you protected all of us.” She gave a small smile. “Perhaps I also want to prove that Mages are not all that people say. I grew up, unable to defend who I was, and once I learned how it was too late.” She folded her hands on her lap. “The Wardens give me a chance to do that. To help people who cannot help themselves.” She smiled. “And if we save Fereldan while doing it, that has to give our Circle some bonus points.”

“You’re amazing.” Kat said, a grin spreading over her face. “Really. Sometimes I’m shocked we’re friends.” Tish rolled her eyes.

“That’s not to say it wouldn’t have been a hard decision.” She continued. “I’m not sure what we will face, nor that I will even make it through. It is a sobering thought.” She paused, and then looked out at the room, her gaze finally settling on Min. “I’m glad not to be alone, though.”

Min blinked in surprise. Then he thought about it – and found himself nodding in agreement. If things had to happen they way they did, if… if Tamlen  _ had  _ to… well, “I am too.” His voice was soft as he said it, but both girls smiled at him, hearing it anyways. Being alone with Duncan, and having to face all of it by himself…

It sounded a thousand times worse than this, sitting on a bed with two people who at this point… he felt like he trusted, and who had already called him a friend even after their brief time together.

“I think I’m going to call on Irving and see if Ameli is around.” Kat said after a few moments had passed, glancing at the clock on the wall. “They should have just gotten out of their second classes.”

“If you get ahold of her, tell her I say hello.” Tish said with a smile.

“And Ptol…” Min added, because somehow the small elf wormed his way into Min’s mind whenever he thought about the circle. Looking at the stars together, and Ptol’s eyes just… knowing, but not pushing anything, and… He wondered if someday Ptol would get out of the circle. If he did, the first thing Min would do was take him to meet Merrill.

“Will do.” Kat promised, sliding off the bed and crossing to her bag. Tish sighed.

“I wonder how long we’ll be here.” Min said.

“I’m unsure.” She replied. “It seems as if Duncan is in somewhat of a hurry to get back to Ostagar, but he also seems equally as determined to recruit as many as possible, and he sounded certain about Rayne.”

“She didn’t… really seem interested.” Min replied. Tish nodded in agreement.

“It will be interesting to see how it plays out.” She said. Then she glanced at the clock. “Are you tired at all? We have been riding for a long time.”

“I… yeah, a little.” He admitted.

“If you wish to go to rest, I will wake you when Duncan calls us for dinner.” She offered. He blinked again, and then nodded.

“Yeah, that’s… thanks.” He mumbled, getting to his feet.

“We need all the rest we can get.” She said. He shifted.

“Yeah…” He looked at the bed uncertainly. She tilted her head.

“Is something wrong?” She asked. He hesitated.

Then he sat back down.

“I… get these dreams.” He admitted. “Every time I sleep… it’s hard to. Ignore them.” Tish frowned, sitting up a bit straighter.

“When did they start?” She inquired. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Uh.”  _ Don’t think about Tamlen, don’t think about Tamlen…  _ “I was sick. And then Duncan gave me something, and then…” He shrugged. Tish sat there for a moment, the gears almost visibly turning in her head.

“Min, I know you may not want to talk about it yet,” she said slowly, “but can I ask what you were sick  _ with?” _

_ Fenedhis, _ he cursed.

“I… I was… fuck.” He turned away, hands shaking as adrenaline coursed through him. He’d be actively avoiding the thought of when he’d been sick – how weak he’d felt, how dizzy he’d become. How he’d gotten that way.

“It’s alright.” Tish’s voice broke through the panic, and a hand was laid on his shoulder. “I am sorry for pushing, I shouldn’t have.” She apologized.

“It’s… it’s fine, I…” He shook his head, trying to calm himself. Then he looked out at the others in the room, eyes wide. Tish noticed; then she stood, taking his hand.

“Come on.” She said with a gentle smile, and led him into the hallway. He followed silently, heart racing, not even sure what he was going to say, what he  _ should  _ say.

“Just breathe, Min.” her hand was rubbing his back. “There’s nothing you have to tell me, if you do not wish to.” He sank to the ground, leaning against the wall, and she sat down next to him. He took a few deep breaths, staring at anything but her face.

“There was… a mirror, it was. It was sick, and… and my…” he swallowed. “Tamlen.” His voice wavered as he said the name. “We went in together, and he… touched it, and…” He shook his head. “I don’t… remember much? I woke up a few days later, and I was. Sick, and Keeper was somehow keeping me alive, but it wasn’t…” he shook his head. “Duncan said if I didn’t go with him, I’d…Mhh.” He cut off. “He gave me some… frankly, really gross medicine, and then right after that we went to the tower and the nightmares have been happening ever since, I should have stopped him, I was  _ there _ and what if I’d…” he took a deep, gasping breath, “Tamlen’s gone.”

“Oh, Minehn.” She breathed, and then arms were folding around him and he was leaning rigidly against her shoulder, and then she was whispering things but he wasn’t quite sure what they were, and then he was leaning into her and tears were dripping off his face onto her cloak but she didn’t seem to mind. “I am so sorry.” She said, and somehow that managed to break through among everything else she was whispering, and then all the tension leaked out of him like a faucet had just been opened, and she just sat there the whole time, rubbing his back and murmuring, and then the next thing he knew, she was shaking him awake saying something about dinner, and her smile was kind as she helped him to his feet, and the only thing he could think about was that…

The entire time he’d napped, there in the hallway, for the first time in three weeks, he hadn’t had a single nightmare.

Nat was about ready to murder Kat by the time it was 2 AM the next morning, the mage’s snores keeping her awake far past when the others had gone to bed. She’d tried everything – plugging her ears, shoving a pillow over her head, pulling the blankets up on top of it. Nothing could drown them out.

“Ancestors take you.” She muttered, sending the mage a glare as she finally gave up and swung her legs out over the side of the bed. She snuck out without another noise – if there was anything she knew how to do, it was be stealthy. She crept through the inn, not meeting anyone on her way out, and eventually took a deep breath of the dark night air. She still couldn’t get enough of the fresh air filling her lungs, and the sky, stretching endlessly up and out in all directions, and-

She paused, hearing something strange. The clinking of armor?

She jumped out of the way just as a sword clanged to the ground where she’d been, and before she even really thought about it her knives were in her hands – because of course she slept with her thigh blades on, if you worked for the Carta you had to – and sinking into the belly of the soldier who’d attacked her. The man fell to the ground with a muffled shout; she jumped onto his back, grabbing his wrist in a pressure hold, knife still embedded in his sternum.

“What the hell.” She demanded. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

“Th-the  _ Castle- _ “ the man gasped, blood spurting out of his mouth. “Work f-for… General Howe…” She grit her teeth, and then yanked her blade out.

“Damn.” She cursed. “I knew he looked shifty.” She rolled the man over, and he tried fruitlessly to scramble away, blood covering his clothes. She kept her grip firm, and then lifted her foot and dug it into his wound. He cried out in pain, and she glared at him.

“Don’t kill me.” He whispered. She wrinkled her lip distastefully.

“Tell me what you know,  _ pig _ , and then we’ll see what your fate will be.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Kat whispered angrily, looking to where Tish was pointing, finger over her lips to signal silence. “Where is she?”

“I don’t know.” Tish replied quietly. She’d woken up, hearing Min groaning in his sleep, and had woken him – after which he’d told her about his nightmare, something about a dragon, and the mirror again – and then she’d realized that Nat’s bed was empty. Then she’d woken Kat, to see if she knew anything; unfortunately, the answer was no.

“Do you think she… uh, went to steal stuff?” Min frowned.

“No.” Tish shook her head. “I don’t think she would.”

“Why not?” Kat grumbled.

“I’m going to go look for her.” Tish sighed.

“I’ll… help.” Min offered, looking uncertainly at his bed. She nodded. Kat sighed.

“I guess I’ll stay here with Sara – but if you find anything, let me know, okay?” both elves nodded. Then they left together, creeping through the halls, but there was no sign of anyone. They asked one of the maids they passed if they’d seen her, but the woman just shook her head.

Then Tish had stopped, telling Min to listen. He did.

Then he heard it too – the faintest sound of metal hitting metal in the distance.

“A fight.” Tish whispered. “Min, go wake the others.”

“What are you going to do?” He asked, eyes wide.

“I’m going outside to find Natie – I won’t go far.” She promised. He nodded, and scampered back down the hallway to alert Kat.

“What do you mean, there’s a fight?” She asked when he walked in.

“I mean there’s… a fight?” He frowned in irritation. “We could hear the swords, and… uh, shouting. Coming from the direction of the estate.”

“Where’s Tish?” Kat asked, suddenly realizing her friend was absent.

“She went to find Nat.” Min replied. Kat sighed.

“Alright – let’s get our things, just in case.” She said. “I’ll wake Sara.” Min nodded; then he started to grab all their bags, swinging them onto his shoulders as Kat woke the princess and informed her of what was happening. They moved quickly and quietly, Min carrying Tish’s bag and Kat carrying Natie’s, and then met the mage on the steps of the inn.

“There’s no sign of her.” She said. Kat frowned.

“Tish, why is there blood on your robe?”

“Because these skirts are truly ridiculous.” She wrinkled her nose at the robes. She had worn them to dinner with the Teyrn, because they were nicer than her leggings, but was regretting not changing before sleep. “And because Nat had apparently met one of the soldiers on the road, and they’d had an… altercation.” She frowned. “Apparently General Howe is not the friend he said he was, and Nat has gone to the palace to find Duncan.”

“Why didn’t she come back for us?” Min frowned.

“Because she’s used to working alone.” Sara sighed. “And we are not yet a team.” There was a pause; Kat groaned.

“What should we do?” She asked. Tish looked down the road, thinking.

“Kat, you and Min should go ready the mounts. Sara cannot saddle a horse nor a halla, and I don’t have the slightest clue how.” She shrugged. Then she looked to the dwarf. “You and I are going to find the other two, if we can. We’ll meet you back at the stables in no more than half an hour.” Kat nodded, gaze hard.

“Alright. Be safe, both of you.”

“We will.” Sara nodded. Then they took off towards the estate, while the other two headed for the stables. Min looked uncertainly after them, and hoped, for all their sakes that Duncan was still alive, and that they would in fact be back.

“Shit.” Nat stared in horror at the scene before her. After the soldier had told her what he’d known, she’d left him there – he’d lost a lot of blood, but if he was lucky he might survive it – and run straight to the estate. Inside, the guards were already dead, lying in puddles of their own blood, cut down mercilessly by an army that’d already long since moved on. She could still hear the sounds of fighting from deeper within the house.

She’d crept inside and snuck down the nearest hallway, looking for anyone still alive – most of the doors were closed, but one at the end was cracked open. She’d snuck to it and pushed it open, and then…

Then she’d nearly gotten sick. Inside was a woman, and a child, both dead. The woman had curled herself around the baby in her last moments, it’d seemed – their bodies were still warm, the tears on their faces not yet dry.

“Natie, what are you doing here?” Duncan’s voice reached through the haze that’d kept her rooted to the spot, just staring in shock, unable to look away. A large hand grabbed her shoulder and forced her to turn around. “Are the others with you?”

She shook her head, dazed.

“No. They’re asleep.” She replied. Duncan sighed.

“Come with me. We must get to the Teyrn and Rayne.” He straightened and began walking briskly down the hallway. She looked back at the door for a moment, feeling… wrong, so wrong, about leaving them there.

Then she turned and followed him.

By the time they found the Teyrn and Rayne, it was already too late.

“…surrounded, I cannot make it….”the Teyrn was saying. He was covered in blood from head to toe, a steady stream flowing from his side onto the concrete below him. Rayne’s dog sat near his face, looking back and forth between him and her, distressed – both of them largely ignored the creature at the moment.

“By the Stone.” Nat breathed.

“I’m afraid the Teyrn is correct.” Duncan said, striding into the room without the blink of an eye. “Howe’s men have not yet discovered this exit, but they’ve surrounded the castle. Getting past will be difficult.” He surveyed the man below him, crouching down next to the Teyrn’s wife. Rayne was there too, her eyes dark with furry.

“You are Duncan, of the Grey Wardens.” Her mother said.

“Yes, your Ladyship.” Duncan bobbed his head as a quick sign of respect. “The Teyrn and I tried to reach you sooner, but…” he shook his head.

“My daughter helped me get here, Maker be praised.” She breathed, looking up at Rayne. The warrior just squeezed her mother’s shoulder, pain flashing in her face before it was again covered by her anger.

“I am not surprised.” Duncan said, giving a weary smile to the girl. Nat resisted the urge to glare at him – if there was any time he’d try to recruit, she knew it would be now, but _all the_ _Ancestors knew _now was not the time. She watched as the Warden hesitated – the first time he’d shown any sort of uncertainty since she’d encountered him. “I do not wish to leave your father alone…” he said, addressing Rayne. Her fist tightened at her side.

“Whatever is to be done, it must be quick… they are coming!” The Teyrna said urgently as the sounds of marching feet grew closer.

“Duncan…” The Teyrn said.

“Father, don’t speak-“ Rayne started, but he ignored her.

“What is it, my friend?” Duncan said, hand clasping the Teyrn’s.

“I beg you…” he breathed, wincing in pain, “…take my wife and daughter to safety!”

“I will, your lordship, but…” Duncan paused, and after a moment, something seemed to settle in his eyes, “I fear I must ask for something in return.”

Nat’s jaw dropped.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She said flatly. “Duncan, don’t you  _ dare _ , you  _ asshole.”  _ He turned to her, annoyance flitting across his face.

“I have few options, Natie.” He said. The Teyrn groaned.

“What are you talking about?” Rayne demanded.

“Anything.” The Teyrn promised instantly. Duncan sighed.

“What is happening here pales in comparison to the evil now loose in this world.” Duncan said, and Nat watched as realization settled into the man’s features. “I came to your castle seeking a recruit. The darkspawn threat demands that I leave with one.”

“I can’t believe this.” Natie says.

“Please, go guard the door.” Duncan said without looking at her.

“Excuse me?” She demanded.

“I… I understand.” The Teyrn cut her off.

“I thought you were here for Sir Gilmore.” Rayne demanded. “Father, this is insanity!” Duncan gave a heavy sigh.

“Truthfully, you were always my first choice.” He admitted. Rayne’s eyes flashed again, and her mouth opened, but the Teryn’s cough cut her off as he bent over. The Teryna whimpered and brushed the hair back from her husband’s face, tears streaking her cheeks. The dog got to his feet and began pacing, a small whimper emanating from his throat. Rayne looked down, and then dug her fingers in the fur of his head, and it looked like it comforted her just as much as the dog. “I will take the Teyrna and your daughter to Ostagar, to tell Fergus and the king what has happened.” Duncan said, getting to his feet. “Then, your daughter joins the Grey Wardens.”

“And I get no say in the matter?” Rayne said angrily.

“So long as justice comes to Howe…” the Teyrn said, avoiding her gaze, “I agree.”

“Father!” She demanded, backing away from him.

“I offer you a place with the Wardens, Rayne.” Duncan said, finally addressing her directly. “Fight with us.”

“I have a duty to find and kill Howe. He will pay for this.” Rayne said. “I care not for fighting the darkspawn.” She shook her head. “What if Fergus is dead, too?”

“We will inform the king, and he will punish Howe.” Duncan shook his head. “I am sorry, but a Grey Warden’s duties take precedence over-“

“Will you  _ shut up?”  _ Nat demanded of him. Everyone in the room finally turned to her, the Teyrn and Teyrna almost as if they’d noticed her for the first time. Duncan glared at her angrily.

“Natie, I’m afraid you are quite out of-“

“Look, lady,” Nat said, ignoring him, “we’ll help you get Howe. I promise. That bastard is going to pay for this crap.” She gestured around. “But right now we don’t have time for this. We’ve gotta get out of here, or it won’t matter whether you want to come or not because we’ll all be  _ dead,  _ and no one will even be able to tell the king of Howe’s treachery.”

“Howe thinks he can use the chaos to advance himself…” The Teyrn said. “Make him wrong, pup.” His eyes flashed for a moment with a similar fire in Rayne’s own gaze. “See that justice is done…” he broke off into coughs, “…our family always does our duty first, however. The Darkspawn must be defeated…” he wheezed, and Nat could tell his time was running out – even if they got him out past the guards, he’d never make it to Kat in time. She cursed the fact that she’d come on her own, not bothering to wake the others. “You must go. For your own safety… and for Ferelden’s.”

There was a pause.

“I understand, father.” Rayne said eventually. Her voice sounded rugged, like she was holding back tears. Nat’s fist clenched.

_ This… this is awful.  _ She thought.

“We must leave quickly.” Duncan said.

“Bryce, are you… sure?” The Teyrna asked, looking fearfully at her daughter.

“Rayne will not die from Howe’s treachery.” The Teryn said firmly. “She… she will live, and make… a mark on the world.” The Teyrna looked to her daughter, tears in her eyes, a shaky sob escaping her.

“Darling…” she breathed, and Rayne crouched next to her, eyebrows raised as pain and uncertainty flashed across her face.

“Mother.” She replied. “Please, don’t-“

“Go with Duncan.” Her mother said, shaking her head. “You have a better chance to escape without me.”

“No-“ Rayne said, but Duncan’s hand was on her shoulder, and she was trying to shove him off but then her Mother was reaching out to help him pull her away. The dog began growling, swarming between them, trying to help Rayne, but she quieted the creature with a wave of her hand, despite the fact that she kept struggling against his grip.

“Eleonore…” The Teyrn breathed, frowning.

“Hush, Bryce.” She said with a sad smile even as she sobbed again. “I’ll kill every bastard that comes through that door, to buy them time, but….” Her hand closed around the sword that she’d stolen from the body of one of their guards, and then looked back to her husband, expression growing firm even as her tone softened. “I won’t abandon you.”

“Mother.” Rayne was crying, tears falling freely down her face.

“You must go.” The Teyrna said. “Please, Rayne.”

“I love you.” Rayne said, finally pushing off Duncan and rushing to her Mother’s embrace. “I love you both, so much.”

“Then live, darling.” The Teyrna said as she forced a smile, but her expression tightened as she hugged her daughter with shaking arms. “Become a Grey Warden, and do what is right.”

“I will.” Rayne whispered. “I promise.” She gave one last tight squeeze and then forced herself to let go, backing up to stand at Nat’s side; her eyes didn’t leave her father’s face, however. The Teyrn looked up at his wife.

“I’m… I’m so sorry it’s come to this, my love.” He breathed. She shook her head, stroking his hairline, wiping some blood away.

“We had a good life, and did all we could.” She whispered to him. “It’s up to our children, now.” Her eyes turned to Rayne, and so did the Teyrn’s.

“Then go, pup.” The Teyrn said. “Warn your brother… and know that we love you both. You do us… proud.” He said, fading into a gasp of pain. Rayne’s shoulders shook, but she didn’t make a sound as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

“I will.” she repeated, still just a whisper. “I will, I promise.”

Just then a crash sounded through the halls; Nat whipped around, blades ready. Duncan went to the hallway, looking out, and then rushed back in.

“They’ve broken through the gates.” He said. “We must go now.” He began rushing towards the servant’s exist; Nat was at his heels. Rayne hesitated.

Then she turned to follow them.

“Goodbye, darling.” The Teryna called.

Finally a sob broke loose as Rayne stepped foot in the hallway.

“Goodbye, Mother.” She said, the words breaking as she started to run. “Thunder, come.” She commanded; her mabari was instantly at her heels, whining uncertainly, looking back into the room they’d just left. Still, he kept pace with her as she moved down the hallway.

“We must hurry.” Duncan said, letting both girls pass him before rushing after them. Nat went in the front, leading the way – Rayne and the mabari ran behind her, and after that first sob Nat didn’t hear anything else out of her.

It wasn’t hard to battle their way through the guards – and not because Nat was a good warrior. The one who really did the damage was Rayne – she was unstoppable, cutting down soldier after soldier without really even seeming to blink, until suddenly they’d all either run away or were lying dead at her feet.

“We must get my companions, and then leave this place before Howe realizes you have escaped.” Duncan said. “Doubtless he will try to hunt you.” Rayne just nodded.

“This way.” she said, running down a back alley. Duncan and Nat shared a glance, and then followed her. Soon they’d reached the Inn.

“I’ll get the others.” Nat said. “You grab the supplies.” Then she disappeared into the building. Duncan looked to Rayne; she stared down the street.

“I need my horse. The stables are nearby – she is in the same stable as your beasts.” Rayne said. Duncan nodded.

“So, we’ve got a problem.” Nat’s head poked back out, looking pissed. “The soldiers have been here, and the others are gone.”

“What?” Duncan demanded.

“Relax, I think they escaped – none of their crap is there either, it’s not like they were taken.” She said. “Looks like the soldiers overturned some beds, but didn’t find anything.” She frowned. “I wonder if they’re at the stables.”

“It’s worth checking.” Duncan said. “Let’s hurry.” They took off down the street, walking briskly. Rayne didn’t bother to stick to the shadows – any soldiers they came across, she simply cut down, and neither Duncan nor Nat were brave enough to say anything about it.

“Duncan?”

It was Min’s voice that greeted them as he pushed the stable door open.

“Minehn.” Duncan sighed in relief. “I’m glad to see you all had the sense to come here.” The elf came out of the shadows, Kat standing behind him.

“Where’s Tish and Sara?” She asked.

“They’re not with you?” Duncan frowned.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Nat cursed.

“They should be here any minute.” Min said uncertainly. “She said… uh, no more than half an hour, and it’s been about twenty five-ish minutes, I think?”

“We do not have time to wait.” Duncan said gruffly. “Are the horses prepared?”

“Um, what?” Kat said flatly.

“Howe has taken over the castle, and Rayne is going to be hunted.” Duncan said. “The other two should be safe from at least initial execution, and I can come back for them.”

“Like hell you will.” Kat snapped. “We’re not moving an inch until Tish gets here.”

“Kaite, we do not have  _ time-“ _

“Fuck you! We’re not leaving them-”

“Everyone just  _ shut up.”  _ Rayne shouted. At first, Kat looked like she was going to retort, but something in the girl’s face must have stopped her. That, and Nat was giving her the ‘go back, retreat, undo’ look and shaking her head. “Five minutes. We can wait five minutes.” She said. “Besides, if we can’t handle a few of Howe’s worthless puppets, we sure as hell won’t be any use against the darkspawn.”

Duncan looked between them, and then sighed. “It appears I am outvoted.”

They only had to wait two minutes before Tish and Sara came walking up to the stable doors – both had blood on their clothes. Thunder sniffed them both, a quiet growl in his throat; Rayne clicked her tongue, and he was against instantly back at her side. Min’s eyes followed the mabari around the barn, curious, and resisting the urge to try and pet him – he assumed that just then wasn’t the best time to ask the enraged girl if he could pet her dog.

“Are you alright?” Kat rushed over to check on them the minute they walked in.

“Oh, yes.” Tish nodded. “The men we fought, not so much.”

“Remind me never to piss you off.” Sara murmured.

“Duncan. Rayne… Nat.” Tish noticed them all. “Well, at least we are all here.” she fixed the dwarf with a look that, even without words, let Nat know everything she needed to about how Tish felt about her wandering off. She scowled in return and looked away. Tish looked to the horses, saddled and ready to go, with their bags already draped across the backs of the large beasts. “Let’s go, before they find us.” 

“Yes.” Duncan agreed, swinging up onto his mount. “Let us ride, before Howe starts to look for us in earnest.” He looked towards the estate, small from this distance, and sighed. “The sooner we can inform King Calin of what he’s done, the better.”


	9. Highever to Denerim

They rode for the next few hours, avoiding the main roads in case they were being hunted after. Thunder rode on the back of Rayne’s horse, surprising everyone with both animals’ acceptance of the arrangement. Rayne muttered something about the two of them being friends, and no one had dared question it. Duncan looked like he wanted to protest the dog even coming with them, but before he’d really even started to speak, Rayne’s fierce eyes had cut him off.

Eventually they reached a small clearing; it was there that Duncan stopped his horse, all the rest pausing behind him.

“It’s a little over a day’s journey from this point to Denerim.” He said, turning to face them all. “We will need our rest.”

“We will sleep here?” Rayne asked, speaking for the first time since they’d left, and Duncan sighed.

“Here is as good as anywhere.”

“Can’t be worse than that first night after we left the docks.” Kat commented. “All rocks, no grass.” Min nodded in agreement.

“We should take turns keeping watch.” Duncan said, dismounting. He walked his worse over to a small tree standing nearby and tied up the reins. The creature whinnied, and he pet it’s nose. “I know, old friend.” He murmured.

The others followed suit, dismounting and leading their horses next to his. Thunder jumped to the ground and instantly began sniffing around; a moment later, he was relieving himself at the base of the same small tree.

“Who wants to watch first?” Kat asked, making a face at the dog and looking away.

“Uhm, I will, if… no one else wants to.” Min offered, still very much intrigued by the creature. Duncan nodded.

“I’ll go next, then.” Tish said with a small smile.

“Don’t bother, any of you.” Rayne said darkly. “I’m not getting any sleep tonight.” She removed the saddle from the black stallion she was riding and placed it on the ground.

“We all need our rest, Rayne-“

“I left my  _ parents  _ there to _ die.”  _ Rayne snapped at Duncan. “And it’s  _ your fault.”  _ Then she turned away and stalked back to the camp spot, starting to set up a fire. Thunder stared after her, canine eyes wide, and then just went back to his sniffing, sensing no readily apparent danger. There was a long, tense pause.

“So… uh, what happened?” Kat asked. Nat crossed her arms, suddenly turning to glare at Duncan harshly. 

“You were right – he only recruits people when they can’t say no.” She said through clenched teeth. “Is that how you get your recruits? You don’t look for bravery or dedication, you just look for the only person around who doesn’t have any other option.”

“That is not-“

“Bullshit.” Nat cut him off. “I  _ cannot believe _ you did that to her.”

“What?” Kat asked again. “What are you talking about?”

Nat looked over to the fire, a ways away, where Rayne was sitting. She grit her teeth and lowered her voice.

“Howe’s men wounded her father.” She said quietly, but her voice was sharp as a knife. “When we got there, it was too late – not even you being there would have been able to save him.” She said to Kat. “Her and her mom were there, too – and the Teyrn asked us to save them.” Her glare whipped back to the Warden. “And the  _ first thing  _ he does is ask if Rayne can join our little group, as  _ payment _ .”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Kat said, gaze darkening.

“Could there have been a  _ worse time _ to bring it up?” Nat demanded. “Especially if you knew she already didn’t want to come. You  _ didn’t give her a choice.” _

“I told you.” Duncan said, and for the first time his voice was very stiff. “Being a Warden means doing what has to be done, even when it is hard. Our lives have little room for empathy, Natie. We  _ need  _ her skill.”

“Then you could have asked her once we were, you know,  _ not in the same room as her dying father. _ ” Nat seethed. “You realize you didn’t even need his permission to ask her, right? He probably didn’t last five minutes after we’d left the room.” Duncan frowned. “If being a Warden means being as heartless as you, you can count me the fuck out.” Then Nat pushed past him, walking over to join Rayne by the fire. The others stared after her.

“You don’t understand.” Duncan shook his head. “You have not seen the armies we have to face – we need every available warrior we can get.”

“Warriors forced into service because they had no other choice before leaving are not bound to be the most dedicated.” Tish said. Her voice sounded… normal, but there was an underlying iciness that made their atmosphere seem ten degrees colder. “Perhaps you have been apart from the world so long that you no longer know the people whom you are protecting.” Then she too walked past him. Min hesitated, and then followed her, not meeting the Warden’s gaze.

Kat glared at him full on in the face.

“I knew your methods were shady, Duncan.” She said. “I didn’t realize they were this bad.” His fist balled at his side.

“When you see the hordes, you will know why I do what I do.” He said.

“I sure as hell hope not.” Kat shook her head, following after the others. “Nobody told me being a Warden would mean losing the part of my soul that gives a damn about being a decent person.”

Rayne would really,  _ really  _ rather be  _ anywhere else  _ than where she was – on her horse, traveling past miles and miles of coastline in the distance, surrounded by strangers, the warm weight of a sleeping Mabari pressing against her back. 

Perhaps not anywhere else.

Perhaps exactly where she wanted to be was wherever Howe was, so she could remove his head from his weasel-y little body.

“Hey.” Someone’s voice caught her attention, and she slid her gaze over to where the taller of the two mages – Kat, or something – was riding alongside her. “I know we didn’t get a chance to really meet.”

“Yeah.” She said. “I’d kind of rather be… not talking to people, right now.” She turned her gaze away again. “Namely because I feel like lashing out irrationally at everything breathing even remotely in my direction.”

“Uh… oh.” The girl sounded confused, if not a bit offended. “Okay, I guess.”

For a moment there was silence. Then Rayne groaned, and turned back to her.

“Fine, okay, I feel like a dick.” She muttered. “Rayne Cousland.” The last name of her father burned like fire on her tongue, but she said it anyways and just stored the acid feeling in her mind, pouring it into the growing reservoir of passionate hatred directed towards Howe.

“Kaite Amell.” Kat said, raising an eyebrow. “Everyone calls me Kat.”

“Okay.” Rayne shrugged. There was a pause. “I guess my brother calls me Ray-Ray but if you call me that I’ll kill you in your sleep.”

Another pause.

“I’m joking.”

“Ah.” Kat said, offering a sheepish laugh.

“Aw, come on- all the rest of us go by nicknames.” one of the dwarves – the one who’d been there the night it’d all happened, the night she’d lost her entire family in the span of ten minutes – said, trotting up on her other side with a smirk. “Nat, Kat, Tish, Min… even Sara.” Behind her, the princess rolled her eyes.

“I think that’s the first time you’ve said my name.” she called.

“Don’t get used to it, princess.” Nat replied.

“So, where are we going again?” Rayne asked, instead of addressing the dwarf’s implication that she should go by the ridiculous nickname her brother used.

“Somewhere near Denerim, I think.” Kat shrugged.

“Duncan’s ditching us in a side town before he goes in for ‘business’ apparently.” Nat made a face. “My bet is he doesn’t want us fucking up anymore of his  _ recruitments.” _

“I heard you talking last night.” Rayne said casually. Nat’s eyes widened.

“Oh. Uh, I’m sorry-“

“For what?” Rayne shrugged. “You were standing up for me. Nothing wrong with that.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder; it cascaded all the way down till it touched the saddle. “Where you all really forced into this?”

“More or less.” Kat muttered.

“Not necessarily forced but… the alternate option so far, what, four times out of six, has been death, so.” Nat shrugged. “And our mage-y friends assure us their option was just as bad if not worse.”

“And you continue to follow him because…?” Rayne raised an eyebrow.

“Well, he’s sort of our only option for the time being.” Kat sighed, glaring at his back. Duncan rode far ahead of them – as none of them were talking to him at the moment – and was most likely out of hearing range, but even if he wasn’t they didn’t particularly care.

“Do you  _ want _ to be Wardens?” Rayne asked.

The two girls shared a glance.

Surprisingly, it was Kat who replied.

“Yeah.” She said after a moment. “The idea is starting to grow on me.” She looked around – to their left the beach was a thin blue line in the distance, and to the right the sands of the Bannorn. “I like all this freedom, and…” She shared a glance with Tish, who smiled at her, “I’ve always been about helping people – I suppose there’s not a greater way to do that than to become a Warden.”

“I escaped being a slave to a dwarven Carta boss… so going from ‘casteless’ to ‘Warden’ is a huuuuge step up for me.” Nat agreed.

“At some point I’ll ask you how that happened. At the moment, you’ll forgive me if I don’t particularly care.” Rayne said. Nat paused a moment.

“Has anyone told you you’re exceptionally blunt?” She asked.

“Mhmm.” Rayne nodded. “I can be diplomatic should the need arise, but usually I find things get done faster when people simply say what they want.”

“You’re… severely different from the nobles where I’m from.” Nat said, a small frown creasing her brow. Rayne shrugged again.

“I’m severely different from  _ most  _ nobles. Well, most people in general.” She replied. “Not many people like me around here.” She shrugged. “I don’t suppose any of you are going to have an issue with this, right?”

“Nah.” Kat shrugged. “I’ve got a girlfriend back in the tower. Nat over there is pan. We’re really chill.”

“Okay.” Rayne said, and that was it. There was a pause.

“Do  _ you _ want to be a Warden?” Sara asked cautiously.

“I want to do whatever will get Howe dead the fastest.” Rayne replied shortly. Sara swallowed, pulling her pony a bit farther away.

“I… see.”

Rayne sighed again.

“My father is…was,” She paused, “a very honorable man. Someday, when Fergus was off in the army, I was supposed to run the estate.” Her eyes flashed for a moment. “Now there is no estate left to run. Joining the Wardens is something I can do to give my family a good name, something I can do to make him proud.” She shrugged. “I was never one for the army. I don’t like soldiers.” She hummed. “How I like the Wardens is yet to be seen.”

“That’s fair.” Kat agreed. There was another brief lapse in their conversation. Then, in another surprising moment, it was Min who spoke next.

“Your mabari…” he said, looking at the sleeping creature. “What’s his name?”

Rayne blinked.

“Thunder.” She said. “He’s still pretty young. I got him for my birthday three years ago, and he was just a puppy then.” She reached behind her and patted the dog’s flank; Thunder lifted his head and blinked sleepily in the sunlight. “He’s a bit of a troublemaker.”

“He’s really… fluffy.” Min commented. Rayne’s light brown eyes actually turned from the road to look at him, and he flushed.

“Yeah.” She replied. “He’s very soft, too.” She shrugged. “He’s friendly, if you’d like to say hello next time we stop. I’m sure he won’t have any outrageous complaints with a bit of extra attention.” There was a pause, as if she were waiting for something. Then she made a face. “None of you laugh, do you.”

“What?” Min frowned.

“Never mind.” She sighed, looking back at the path before them.

“It’s honestly been forever since I’ve seen a mabari.” Kat said, smiling at the dog as he dropped his head back down, eyes sliding shut once more. “We didn’t have any in the Circle – Garrett’s family had one, though. Good old Miles… I wonder how he is.” She paused, and then her eyes drifted towards the coast. “I wonder how all of them are.”

“Garrett – he was the cousin you stayed with?” Min asked. She nodded.

“Yep. Twins ran in their family, though – he and Marian are both… god, like twenty-four. They’re my age.” She shook her head. “And Bethany and Carver are… what, seventeen? Eighteen?” She sighed. “I miss them.” She sent a glance to Tish. “It’s crazy to think Izola might not even remember them. She was so young when we left.”

“Is that your sister?” Min questioned. She nodded.

“Yeah, the youngest.”

“They weren’t with you in the circle?” Sara asked with a slight frown. Kat shook her head sadly, offering a little shrug.

“They separated all of us.” She explained. “Irving kept tabs on them for me, though. He couldn’t let me talk to them directly, of course, except through mail that was of course perused by a Templar before being sent off.”

“That sounds… awful.” Sara frowned. Kat hesitated, and then nodded.

“I’ve… grown mostly accustomed to it. It has been ten years, after all.”

“Perhaps when all this is over, we can go find them.” Min offered, and she blinked at him in surprise.

“Yeah.” Nat chimed in, a grin slipping on her face. “We can go ‘look for recruits’ or something, and say hi.”

“I hadn’t… Maker, you’re right!” Kat said, face lighting up. “I really do love being able to be free, you don’t understand how great it is.”

“Trust me.” Nat replied with a roll of her eyes. “I do.”

“Orzammar was far bigger than the circle.” Kat said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, but then while you were stuck reading books, I had to watch my sister be a prostitute while I killed and stole for the Carta boss who basically owned us.” She replied tartly. Kat winced.

“Fair enough.”

There was a long pause.

“What the hell have I signed up for?” Rayne said suddenly.

They all blinked.

Then Kat and Nat burst into laughter, and even Min was smiling sheepishly. Tish shook her head, sighing in agreement, while Sara covered her mouth, hiding her surprised chuckle. Rayne made a face, and then rolled her eyes.

“Of course that’s what you all would laugh at.” She muttered.

“You’re not wrong, though.” Kat said. “What a group we are, huh?”

“No kidding.” Nat agreed, grinning still. “Warriors of Ferelden, soon-to-be Wardens…” She shook her head.

“It is hard to imagine.” Sara agreed, and for a moment it almost seemed like Nat was going to agree and reply, but then she just closed her lips and looked away. Sara sighed in disappointment, and Kat winced.

After that they faded back into silence. For the next several hours, they trotted alongside one another; Kat eventually struck up some conversation with Tish and Min, something about a kid named Ptol, setting his bed on fire accidentally? Rayne didn’t listen to much. She just focused on the steady clop of her mare’s hooves and the gentle breaths of the dog at her back, and did her best to look to the road ahead, and not think of the home she’d left behind.

“I will be leaving you here for the night.” Duncan had stopped them in a small town that couldn’t have had more than seven buildings and a single neighborhood. “Try to stay out of trouble, this time.” He looked at them warily. Nat glared at him.

“Are you going to ‘recruit’ someone else?” She snapped.

“That remains to be seen.” Duncan replied.

“How long will you be gone?” Tish asked with a small frown.

“No more than a day.” Duncan said. “I will return by tomorrow’s dusk, and we will begin our ride to Ostagar the morning after. There you all will finally realize our purpose.” He sounded certain; Kat sighed.

“Whatever.” She said, and then walked to the inn, pushing the door open and greeting the servant waiting at the front desk.

“Stay safe on your travels.” Sara said to the Warden, and he bowed his head gratefully. She then followed the rest of them inside; Duncan sighed, watching them go, and then turned back to his horse.

Truthfully, he was not certain he  _ wanted _ another recruit… the ones he had were already proving to be much more difficult than he’d expeted.

Or, rather, he had not expected to receive so many. One from the circle, Rayne Cousland, and perhaps a dwarf – that is all he had planned on. An extra mage, an extra dwarf, and a Dalish elf…

He couldn’t have seen this coming.

His only hope was that the Darkspawn would not see them coming, either.


End file.
